Jail for Snapchatter who imported 300 MDMA tablets

Friday 11 March 2022

A 31-year-old man who ordered 300 MDMA tablets through Snapchat and had them posted to Jersey has been jailed for four years.

Jack Boon was sentenced in the Royal Court on Thursday afternoon for the attempted importation of the Class A drug.

The Court heard that, on Tuesday 20 April 2021, a Customs Officer at Jersey Post's headquarters examined a brown padded envelope.

Inside was a black rectangular box, concealing 299 MDMA tablets plus some which had been crushed.

According to drug trafficking expert DS James McGranahan, the estimated street value of one MDMA tablet is £20 to £30.

The total value of MDMA that had been imported into Jersey was estimated to be between £6,000 and £9,000.

DS McGranahan therefore concluded that the intention was that the tablets be sold onward, rather than being for recreational use. 

Picture: The MDMA that had been sent in the post.

On Wednesday 21 April, Boon was arrested on suspicion of importing MDMA. Customs and Immigration Officers had attended the address that day to conduct a search warrant.

When questioned, the defendant refused to cooperate with the authorities and failed to re-attend on 5 May 2021 after being released on bail - he could not be traced.

However, at the beginning of August, Boon handed himself in to officers and was re-arrested and interviewed.

He confessed to ordering 300 MDMA tablets over Snapchat from an anonymous user costing £800.

The defendant told authorities that he moved to Jersey from Newport to escape drugs. Defending Boon, Advocate James Bell said his client is an "intelligent young man who sincerely regrets his decisions". 

Prosecuting, Advocate Chris Baglin told the court that the defendant had pleaded guilty to both charges. 

Picture: The sentencing took place in the Royal Court yesterday.

He noted that Boon was originally due to be sentenced on 6 December, but that it was postponed to allow a psychological report to be prepared. The defendant had as a result spent a total of 220 days on remand prior to his sentencing yesterday.

A psychiatric report found that Boon was suffering from ADHD - which can lead to impulsive behaviour - and an anxiety disorder.

Advocate Bell told the court that Boon had scored nine out of nine for attention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. The doctor who assessed Boon described his disorder as severe.

The Court noted that Boon's ADHD was a "significant factor" in the case.

Pictured: Boon's ADHD was deemed a "significant" factor by the Court.

Had it been identified earlier, Boon's life may have taken a different course, Bailiff Timothy Le Cocq said.

Boon was subsequently sentenced to a total of four years' imprisonment. Jurats Collette Crill, Pamela Pitman and Steven Austin-Vautier were sitting.

Paul Le Monnier, Senior Officer at JCIS, commented: "JCIS officers continue to work closely with Jersey Post on a daily basis in order to detect and seize all attempts at importing drugs through the postal system, and bring all offenders to justice."