“This is a cautionary tale of the damage drugs can do”

Tuesday 29 October 2019

An Uber driver, who tried to "scramble" out of his costly cocaine addiction by smuggling cannabis and MDMA worth up to £227,000 to Jersey in his cab's spare wheel, has been thrown behind bars for seven-and-a-half years.

Liverpool resident Lucasz Przydanek (39), whose case was described as a "cautionary tale of the damage drugs can do", was handed his sentence in the Royal Court on Tuesday.

He was arrested at Elizabeth Terminal on 24 May after travelling from Poole to Jersey. When he got off the ferry, Customs and Immigration Officers searched his Skoda Octavia with the help of a drug detection dog.

There, they found 97 bars of cannabis resin, weighing a total of 9.4kg, as well as 15 white packages containing 400g of MDMA in the vehicle's spare wheel.

The drugs had a local street value between £172,200 and £227,000. 

Pictured: A drug detector dog helped officers locate the drugs in the spare wheel.

The Court heard that Przydanek told officers he was in the island to see his daughter, and denied carrying any controlled drugs, reassuring them that he had packed the vehicle himself.

However, a drug detector dog gave a positive indication of the presence of drugs in the spare wheel in the boot of the car, which was described as feeling heavier than normal when removed by Customs and Immigration Officers. 

Przydanek admitted being addicted to cocaine and spending £300 to £400 on drugs every week. He said this had caused him money troubles and landed him “in huge debt”.

He claimed that the week before his arrival in Jersey, a man named 'Jake 'had called him and asked if he wanted to make some money. The day before his arrest, 'Jake' asked Przydanek to take the wheel to someone and collect it a few hours later.

Pictured: The drugs were hidden in the spare wheel.

Przydanek admitted he knew there were illegal drugs in the wheel but said he never saw or touched them. 

Following his arrival in Jersey, Przydanek was meant to be contacted by one of Jake's associates, who would have then swapped the wheel with one containing money to be returned to Jake. 

Przydanek, who had been working as a Uber driver for the past 18 months, said he expected to be paid £3,500 for this, and that Jake had also given him £500 to cover the fuel, hotel and ferry.

Crown Advocate Conrad Yates described Przydanek’s role as “fundamental in ensuring the drugs reached their intended market in the island” and moved for a prison sentence of nine-and-a-half years.

Pictured: Przydanek had driven from Liverpool to Poole before taking the ferry.

Defending, Advocate James Bell told the Court that Przydanek had been very cooperative from the time of his arrest and had made full admissions of his wrongdoing, which were particularly valuable, given that his fingerprints were neither on the drugs packaging nor the spare tyre.

He said that Przydanek very much regretted his “clearly poor decision” and asked the court for forgiveness.

“He can see the great mistake he has made in terms of impact to the island of Jersey,” the lawyer added, “…He can see the adverse effect or potential effect on others.”

Advocate Bell described how Przydanek, who had no previous convictions, had seen his cocaine use grow into a problem he eventually became "unable to surmount".

Pictured: Przydanek was expecting to be paid £3,500 for taking the drugs to Jersey and returning the money to Liverpool.

“This is a case where his judgment was clouded by his own fall into drug misuse,” the defence lawyer said. 

The advocate added that Przydanek had tried “to scramble out of the hole he found himself in”, working two jobs to get by.

“Despite working hard, he continued to find himself in financial difficulty,” Advocate Bell added. “He sincerely regrets his very poor decision… He very much regrets giving in to temptation of that opportunity.”

The defence lawyer said Przydanek had already suffered personal consequences, with a long-term relationship ending following his arrest.

Advocate Bell said that Przydanek had already made a “positive use” of his time in custody in prison by making strides in further education. This, he said, was “some measure of the true nature of the man".

Pictured: The court has made an order for Przydanek to be deported at the end of his sentence.

Returning the sentence of the court, Royal Court Commissioner Sir Michael Birt described Przydanek’s case as a “cautionary tale of the damage drugs can do".

“Until recently you were a law-abiding citizen, you had a happy upbringing in Poland, good academic achievements, good work record in Poland and in the UK, a family life with your partner and daughter,” he said. 

“Then about three to four years ago you were introduced to cocaine. Recreational use soon turned into habitual use with work and family life taking second place behind your need for the drug… Your habit became more time-consuming… Your life had taken a dramatic turn for the worse.”

Sir Michael said that fortunately for the people of the Jersey the drugs had been stopped, as they could have done a lot of damage. 

He sentenced Przydanek to seven-and-a-half years in prison and ordered for the drugs to be destroyed. He also made an order for his deportation.