51-year-old John Patrick Glynn flew into Guernsey in December 2019. He was with his 27-year-old son, and when they were stopped by Guernsey Border Agency officers Glynn said he was visiting a friend, called Michael Douglas, and that this friend was arranging their accommodation for them.
Before they left the airport, Glynn’s bag was searched after an X-ray showed it contained some suspicious items.
10 blocks of cannabis resin were found – weighing a total of 959 grams, with a street value of between £19,000 and £28,000.
Four bottles were found split between his and his son’s bags – containing hundreds of MDMA tablets each, with a collective street value of between £26,000 and £40,000.
Pictured: Glynn was arrested on arrival in December 2019.
Glynn was solely charged with two counts of importation the day after they arrived in the island and appeared before the Magistrate’s court for the first time then and has been remanded in custody since then.
He first appeared before the Royal Court in March and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.
When he appeared for sentencing remotely via video link this week, the Crown Advocate told the Court that Glynn had told the Guernsey Border Agency officers that he had previously visited the island in June and that his friend, Michael Douglas was meeting him and his son at a pub. He wouldn’t give the officers any other details about his friend.
After he was arrested, Glynn cooperated fully with Law Enforcement officials and told them he had been threatened by a gang in London, where he lived. He owed £1,500 and was told to take the drugs to Guernsey to clear his debt. He admitted during questioning that Mr Douglas was not real but would not say who he was really intending to meet.
The court heard, and accepted, that Glynn had asked his son to carry the bottles because of limits on the number that can be carried through security in hand luggage, and that his son did not know what they really contained.
Pictured: Glynn appeared before the Royal Court during a virtual sitting, with himself and the Jurats appearing via video link only.
Glynn’s defence advocate told the Court that he was a drugs mule, and that he had not brought the drugs to Guernsey in the hope of reward, but in the fear of punishment from the London gang if he did not.
Advocate Sam Steel said the “carrot was to clear his drug debt” and the “stick was the threat of violence to him and his family” if he did not bring the drugs to Guernsey.
The Court heard how Glynn had suffered recent bereavements, as well as the death of his daughter some years previously, and had turned to alcohol and drugs to cope, before losing his job last year. Advocate Steel said his client accepts it was his own choices previously which had led him to this situation and to him having this drug debt.
Advocate Steel said Glynn would have benefitted by just £1500 had the smuggling been successful, but he had agreed to do it because of the threat of serious violence against himself and his family.
Glynn had previously backed out of smuggling drugs into the island, but he agreed on the second attempt. He has been held in custody since that fateful flight to the island and has missed the birth of his first grandchild as a result.
Sitting via video link because of social distancing guidelines, the Deputy Bailiff said the drug importation involved “significant quantities” and that the Court had to send a message out to other people that it is not tolerated here.
Richard McMahon told Glynn that the importation of MDMA tablets involving his son was an aggravating factor in his case.
“Your family were affected by your actions and you should have thought about them,” said Judge McMahon.
He allowed some credit because Glynn had pleaded guilty to the charges, but the Deputy Bailif said he had no choice as “you were caught red handed.”
He told Glynn that “you knew full well what you were doing was wrong” but Judge McMahon also said, “the surprise you showed when you were told the street value shows the level of exploitation.”
Glynn was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for count one (the Cannabis Resin charge) and eight years for count two (the MDMA) to run concurrently, meaning he will serve eight years in total from the date of his arrest.
Pictured top: John Patrick Glynn will sentenced to eight years at Les Nicolles Prison.
