Cocaine courier who hid £250k drug haul in car jailed

A drugs courier who imported £250,000 worth of cocaine and heroin to the Isle of Man hidden in a car has been jailed - after making a "farcical" claim that he was only visiting the island to play golf for the day.

Glenn Ford, from Dorset, was stopped by customs officers after arriving by ferry in his silver Nissan Qashqai in late November.

But suspicions were raised when he told them he was only staying on the island for a day, leading to a search of his car, Douglas Courthouse heard.

Sentencing him to 12 years behind bars, Deemster Graeme Cook said the 38-year-old's lies about the reason for his trip had been a "farcical story".

The court heard Ford had arrived on the 17:20 GMT sailing of the Manxman from Heysham in Lancashire on 21 November, and was pulled over for a routine check after disembarking.

He told customs officers he had made similar visits on five previous occasions to "get away from the hustle and bustle of the UK".

However, the court heard it emerged his one-night booking for the Comis hotel had been made just four days earlier.

The officers also noticed he was "abnormally anxious" and asked if he had ever been in trouble, to which he replied "no", despite a check showing he had a lengthy criminal record.

A full search was then carried out, which revealed signs of a hidden compartment in the boot where a spare wheel would normally be, and Ford was arrested.

Further searches uncovered another concealed storage area in the dashboard and a black holdall containing two packages of cocaine with a street value of £100,160 and £99,687.

The court heard heroin with a street value of £49,950 was also recovered.

Ford gave no comment to police during an interview but later pleaded guilty to importing cocaine and heroin and possessing both drugs with intent to supply.

The court heard he made the plea on the basis that he had agreed to bring drugs to the island to clear a £2,000 drug debt but had not known the quantities involved.

He said he had been told to drive his car to a location in the UK and leave it with the keys inside before collecting it two days later.

In a letter to the court, he said: "I have committed a foolish and regrettable mistake that will follow me for the rest of my life."

Spending time in prison meant he had now seen "both sides of this vile trade", and could say with "absolute certainty" he would not commit any further crimes once released, he added.

Arguing for a "degree of mercy" his defence advocate said Ford had undergone a "Damascene conversion, however late in the day".

Deemster Cook said the value of the drugs imported was considerably more than his £2,000 debt and Ford "must have known more".

He added: "This is what this island is trying to avoid - people bringing vast quantities of drugs to this island."

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