A cocaine courier caught trying to smuggle drugs into Jersey to pay for Christmas presents has been jailed for three years after being intercepted at the airport.
Lisa Danielle Ross arrived in the Island from London Gatwick on 19 December last year, carrying more than 56 grams of cocaine worth up to £14,000.
The Royal Court heard that the 39-year-old had agreed to bring the drugs into the island in exchange for £1,500 after receiving messages demanding money for “Christmas gifts”.
Officers from the Jersey Customs and Immigration Service stopped Ross after a drug detection dog gave a positive indication as she walked through Jersey Airport.
Ross, from Ashford, initially claimed she was visiting a friend who lived on a boat for an overnight stay, but could not provide a surname.
She later changed her account, saying her brother “Lewis” would be collecting her. Officers also discovered she had no accommodation booked.
A swab taken from Ross’s mobile phone tested positive for cocaine and the woman admitted to using the drug two days earlier.
After she was arrested and taken into custody, officers saw Ross remove a clingfilm-wrapped package from her bra and attempt to swallow it.
She was restrained and the package – later found to contain 1.89 grams of cocaine – was recovered.
Later that day, Ross produced a second package containing 54.39 grams of cocaine, which had been concealed internally.
Text messages found on Ross’s phone contained exchanges appearing to show she intended to use the payment from the Jersey trip to settle debts.
One message sent to Ross read: “…you owe me cash. I need it badly Lisa for Christmas gifts…”.
Ross replied: “I will pay u out of Jersey money tomorrow I get [£]1500…”
Another message stated: “I’m f**ked if I carnt get tht stuff up there”.
Crown Advocate Jordan Gollop, prosecuting, said: “The messages reveal the defendant was to travel to Jersey with cocaine concealed internally in exchange for £1,500 in cash.”
Ross admitted to having arranged the importation with a woman over social media messaging platform Snapchat.
The Crown Advocate asked for Ross to be jailed for five years, but Advocate Nicholas Mière, defending, asked for a lesser sentence.
He pointed to the “direction of travel the court has taken with regards to drugs sentencing over the last couple of years.”
Advocate Mière said his client was “vulnerable” and addicted to cocaine herself.
“This was her escape from an otherwise inescapable situation – a downward spiral which had reached a nadir in the days leading up to the offending,” he added. “In her own words: ‘I’d be dead now if I hadn’t been caught’.”
Delivering the sentence, Bailiff Robert MacRae accepted that Ross was “very remorseful” for her actions.
“You accept you ought to have considered the consequences of importing this dangerous class A drug to this island,” he said.
“You describe a slippery slope of addiction, and that addiction led you to becoming involved in this offence.”
Taking into account Ross’s personal circumstances, he ordered a total sentence of three years’ imprisonment. The forfeiture and destruction of the cocaine was also ordered.
Jersey Customs and Immigration Service senior manager Paul Le Monnier said: “This sentence reflects the serious nature of drug importation offences and the harm that controlled drugs cause within our community.
“The proactive approach of our officers, supported by the drugs detector dog, prevented a substantial quantity of cocaine from reaching the streets of the island.
“Those who seek to import controlled substances into Jersey should be under no illusion that they will be detected, prosecuted, and brought before the courts.”
