A 31-year-old man who concealed over 50 grams of cocaine internally for almost two weeks after his arrest has been jailed for five years following a “lengthy and testing investigation”.
Faustin Kapinga Mulume Mutombo was sentenced by the Royal Court today for attempting to import “high purity” cocaine worth £14,000 into the island.
He was stopped by customs officers after arriving in Jersey by ferry on 17 January 2024.
Mutombo said that he was travelling to the island to visit a friend called “Joey”, and he planned to stay at the Premier Inn at Charing Cross for one night.
He said he had met Joey on a night out in London and they had remained in contact, with Joey asking him to visit Jersey.
Mutombo said Joey lived in Jersey and worked in construction – but he did not know which company or where exactly he lived.
He also provided a phone number with the contact showing as “Joey G”, but stated he did not know his surname.
Mutombo was arrested later that day, and taken to hospital three days later.
Almost two weeks after his arrest, he produced two cylindrical packages containing cocaine wrapped in clingfilm which he had concealed internally.
The drugs were later found to contain 56 grams of cocaine with with a combined purity of 76%. The street value of the drugs was estimated to be between £8,400 and £14,000.
When Mutombo was asked if he had any further packages concealed internally, he responded: “You have to ask them.”
He later sat up in bed and repeated “you’ve got to stop him” several times, and asked if his family would be safe.
Mutombo was then asked again whether he had any further packages, to which he replied: “They only said two.”
A number of drug-related messages were found on Mutombo’s phone, as well as an internet search for “three people jailed for attempting to smuggle cocaine into Jersey”.
Information from his phone also indicated that he had travelled to Jersey previously on more than one occasion.
Mutombo’s fitness to be interviewed was assessed by a doctor following his admission in hospital, but he was considered to not be in a fit state to be interviewed.
In his please, Mutombo stated that he was a drugs courier and would not have received any financial benefit from the importation. He denied being aware of the weight or purity of the cocaine.
Mutombo accepted being involved in the supply of drugs in the UK.
He stated that he owed money to the organiser of the importation and that pressure was applied for him to import the drugs.
Mutombo was initially remanded under the mental health law in a secure forensic unit in London, before being transferred to HMP Wandsworth in August 2024.
A transfer to HMP La Moye was considered by the doctors to be “destabilising” for Mutombo, and was deemed likely that his mental health would deteriorate.
He was determined to have the capacity to participate in court proceedings at the end of last year.
Mutombo was sentenced to five years in prison by Jersey’s Royal Court on 27 March 2025.
He has already served the equivalent sentence of one year and eight months behind bars.
Paul Le Monnier, Senior Manager at Jersey Customs and Immigration Service, said: “This was a lengthy and testing investigation that ultimately led to the seizure of cocaine.”