Drug smuggling pensioner's Porsche to be destroyed

Wednesday 13 February 2019

A Porsche customised with hidden compartments, which was used by a pensioner in an attempt to smuggle more than £1million worth of cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis, is to be destroyed.

The Royal Court made the decision this week, following the sentencing of its owner, 70-year-old James Rice, late last year.

He was handed 11.5 years' imprisonment for his “very sophisticated importation", which included 1kg of cocaine, 9,853 MDMA tablets and 498 bars of cannabis resin of a combined street value of up to £1.34million.

Pictured: 69-year-old James Rice was sentenced to 11.5 years' imprisonment.

Crown Advocate Conrad Yates told the Court that when he was stopped at the harbour after coming to the island on the Condor Rapide from St. Malo, Rice explained to a Customs Officer that “he was a writer and had come to Jersey to look at properties… whilst he wrote a book".

He had previously written two books under the pen-name 'Seamus O’Mulgreavey.'

Customs Officers found almost 500 bars of cannabis resin stashed in secret compartments in Rice's car, which was found to have been "substantively" customised. 

The Royal Court, presided by the Bailiff, Sir William Bailhache, who was sitting with Jurats Elizabeth Dulake, Robert Christensen, Pam Pitman, Anthony Olsen, Charles Blampied and Rozanne Thomas, ordered the destruction of the vehicle on Monday.

Pictured: James Rice's Porsche had been modified to include several hidden compartments.

They also made an order to confiscate the £1,071.91 that had been seized in the vehicle. Crown Advocate Yates, however, told Court that it was estimated Rice had profited up to £13,800 from drug trafficking. He explained the figure was made up by adding up the amount of cash seized and the value of Rice's vehicle.

A deportation order was also considered, but, after Customs officials received Rice's British birth certificate, no such order was made.

During the same sitting, the Royal Court decided to confiscate £402 from Kieran Davey Rice, who was not said to be related to the Porsche smuggler, despite sharing a surname.

The 32-year-old was jailed for nine-and-a-half years in March 2018 after he was arrested with over 10kg of cannabis resin, worth up to £215,460 and 3,000 buprenorphine (subutex) tablets, worth up to £276,400.

Pictured: Kieran Davey Rice was sentenced to nine and-a-half years in prison.

Officers also found a number of drugs at Rice's house, 195 grams of crystalline MDMA of 74% purity worth £20,000, nearly £40,000 worth of cannabis and 16 other N-ethypentylone tablets worth £400. 

At the time, Rice was sentenced alongside another man, but was described as being a key part in the operation.

Crown Advocate Yates said the estimated benefit Rice drew from drugs dealing was of £26,253. This included the cash seized at his house, unexplained cash deposits to his bank account and the £5,000 drugs debt he cleared through his involvement.

Pictured: James Rice's car and some of the packages recovered from his car.