Prison for "social supplier" of cocaine

Friday 08 July 2022

A 44-year-old man who acted as a "social supplier" of drugs has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years' imprisonment.

Christopher Annand was sentenced by the Royal Court on two counts: for possession with intent to supply, and for being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug.

Crown Advocate Lauren Hallam, prosecuting, laid out the facts of the case in the Royal Court yesterday.

Annand was arrested in December 2020 after Drug Squad officers executed a warrant at his address in St. Helier.

They found weighing scales and a number of substances at the premises which, after being tested, were confirmed to contain traces of cocaine and amphetamine, and adulterants. 

There was also a large amount of creatine powder found on the property which is a health and fitness supplement often mixed with powdered drugs.

The charge for possession with intent to supply related to 61 stanozolol pills, a man-made steroid which is similar to the naturally occurring steroid – testosterone.

A mobile phone seized during the warrant, showed that Annand was regularly involved with supplying up to 22g of cocaine to 11 different individuals between June and December of 2020. 

The text messages on the phone discuss Annand offering to supply amounts up to 10g of cocaine to some individuals, charging differing amounts depending on the quality of the drugs.

Advocate Hallam said that photos on the phone also showed Annand’s “involvement with the drug’s world” with pictures of him in possession of and using substances.

Annand has one previous conviction from 2013 which was not drug-related, and was assessed to be at medium risk of reoffending.

The Crown Advocate proposed four-and-a-half years' imprisonment.

Defending, Advocate Julian Gollop said that Annand was “not a classic street dealer” and didn’t “go out looking for punters to sell cocaine to”.

He said that instead his client was just a “social supplier” of drugs to friends and associates who he already knew to be users. 

He added that Annand did not make any money from selling the drugs, as he charged buyers the same amount that he bought it for. 

Advocate Gollop described his client’s drug and alcohol abuse as a “coping strategy” following relationship and family issues, false allegations against him, and the stresses of opening a new business just before the pandemic began. 

Since his arrest, Annand had “got his life back on track” and had been successfully running his business. He was free from drug use and drank minimal alcohol, and therefore did not require any detoxification. 

Advocate Gollop also outlined Annand’s “good character”, shown in references as well as his significant charity work. He also highlighted Annand’s cooperation with the police, telling them the code to unlock his phone which ultimately led to his conviction.

He asked the court to sentence Annand to between three and three and a half years in prison.

Deputy Bailiff Robert McRae, who was sitting alongside Jurats Jeremy Ramsden, Pamela Pitman and Robert Christensen, acknowledged that Annand was a “man of good character” with “evidence of positive contribution, including charitable work”. 

However, he said that Annand “knew exactly what he was doing” in his involvement in the “commercial supply” of drugs, and played a “crucial role in the chain of supply”.

Accepting Annand’s personal difficulties and cooperation with the investigation, he sentenced him to four and a half years in prison.

Detectvie Sergeant Jim McGranahan, who heads up the Police Drug Squad, said: “Every police officer and member of staff involved in these investigations works hard and will continue to do so to ensure we keep illegal drugs off our Island’s streets and see those who deal in these drugs put before the courts.”