Drugs mule who brought in £21,000 of cocaine jailed for six years

Monday 02 July 2018

A 50-year-old man who attempted to smuggle £21,000 worth of cocaine - which he was carrying internally in ten packages - into the island in February has been jailed for six years and three months by the Royal Court.

William Francis Ennis, of Liverpool, was also found with just over five grams of cannabis.

The Court heard that Ennis was stopped by Customs Officers at Jersey Airport at 06:30 on 20 February. He had a return flight booked for 23 February and said he had no drugs in his possession.

Swabs of his bag and possessions gave positive results for the presence of cocaine, which Ennis couldn't explain. A urine sample also tested positive for morphine and cannabis but was inconclusive for the presence of cocaine. Ennis was then taken to the Hospital for an X-ray. Just before the exam started, Ennis said:  “I’ve got something to tell you, I’ve got something inside me." He then admitted he had up to eight packages of cocaine inside him, which the X-ray confirmed. 

In total Ennis was carrying 10 packages, nine of them containing a total of 133.29g of cocaine, with a purity of 64%, worth up to £21,000. The tenth package contained 5.12g of cannabis, which was deemed to be for Ennis's personal use.

Pictured: An X-Ray at the Hospital revealed that Ennis was carrying ten packages.

Crown Advocate Matthew Maletroit, prosecuting, said Ennis had been assessed as a high risk by the Probation Service. He moved for a sentence of six-and-a-half years in prison. 

Advocate Adam Harrison, defending, said that Ennis had got into debt due to his cocaine use over the past 18 months. He explained the death of Ennis' mother had started a spiral, and that Ennis had no means to clear the debt.

He said that while Ennis had a criminal record, his previous offences had been mostly dealt with fines. "This is first offence for which he will be in prison," said the Advocate.

He said Ennis had acquired an enhanced status in prison and had been studying English and Maths to increase his literacy and numeracy. Urging the Court to move for a lesser sentence, he said: "I can only hope Mr Ennis can achieve what he hopes to achieve... a stable, meaningful life."

Pictured: Ennis was sentenced by Royal Court Commissioner Julian Clyde-Smith.

Royal Court Commissioner Julian Clyde-Smith, who was sitting with Jurats Sylvia Milner, Robert Christensen, Charles Blampied, Rozanne Thomas and Pamela Pitman, noted Ennis' poor record. He also noted he was at a high risk of reconviction due to his "long entrenched history of drug and alcohol problems and general lack of stability."

He described the role of courier as vital in drugs importation adding that there was nothing in the case that would justify departing from the Court's policy. He said the Court agreed with the Crown's conclusions, due to, "...the antisocial nature of drugs trafficking in Jersey." He however added that Ennis's letter of remorse, his guilty pleas and the fact he had no previous convictions, meant they could "as an act of mercy" make a small deduction from the sentence.

The Court sentenced Ennis to six years and three months in prison and ordered the destruction of the drugs.