Vaughan William Fish (64) and Ronald Karl Brinne Hinds (56) were sentenced in the Royal Court on Friday for trying to acquire, possess, or control £3,880 in cash, money they knew or suspected to be drug trafficking money.

The Court heard how the Customs Officer had spotted Hinds driving a silver Ford Fiesta into the car park at 21:00 on Saturday 18 June. He got out and after going to the public toilets, was seen going back to the car and getting a small package out of the boot. 

Crown Advocate Christopher Baglin told how Fish, who is from Bournemouth, was then seen coming over to the car and talking to Hinds before walking away with the package that he put inside his jacket. When the Customs Officer told him he was under arrest for suspected money laundering, Fish threw the package over a garden fence.

The package was found full of ten, twenty and fifty pound notes and was wrapped in silver tape, the same kind of tape that was later found in Hinds’ house in Jersey.

Hinds was also caught with a small amount of cannabis, that he admitted was his and that he smoked every day.

Advocate Baglin told the Court that Fish claims he’d met a man called “Topper” the week before in Bournemouth, a “traveller” who asked him to collect the money in Jersey, money from the sale of a van.

In Fish’s defence Advocate Michael Haines said that it was purely speculation that the money could be from drug trafficking.

He said: “He was asked to do a favour for an acquaintance, there was no reward, he might get a drink out of it, he just had to pick up the package and pass it on to an acquaintance.”

The Court heard how Fish had booked the ferry to Jersey under a false name but claimed it was because he wasn’t very good on the internet and he had misspelt his own name.

Advocate Haines told the Court that Fish is now 64, is medically retired and in April this year had seven stents fitted. He said he is suffering from moderate to severe heart disease and that since his arrest his health has significantly declined. He said Fish is now effectively immobile, needing a wheelchair or stick, is frequently out of breath and can’t exercise. He said because of his poor health Fish has been spending 22 hours a day in his cell and has had to go to hospital four times since his arrest. He said he hasn’t had any visitors at La Moye and doesn’t know anyone on the Island.

Advocate Haines pushed for a non custodial sentence for Fish because he’s likely to lose his assisted living accommodation and end up homeless if he goes to prison.

In Hinds’ defence Advocate Jeremy Heywood told the Court that he didn’t have any knowledge of where the money came from but that he was suspicious. He said Hinds was to hand over the money to someone he didn’t know and that he wasn’t going to get any money for doing it.

Advocate Heywood said Hinds had not been in trouble since his release from prison in 2012 and had been working full time, paying off debts and putting his family’s finances “on an even keel”.

He said: “Prison will set him back, he will lose his job. He will have no job when he gets out and it will be more difficult for him to find work than younger gentlemen might. Prison will undo all of his efforts.”

During sentencing the Judge, William Bailhache, said that ten, twenty and fifty pounds were well known denominations connected with drug trafficking and they must suspect some evidence of a drug trafficking operation being conducted. 

He said money laundering for the proceeds of crime carries a potential sentence of up to 14 years, showing how seriously the Island considers it to be. 

He sentenced both men to 12 months in prison and Hinds to two weeks to run concurrently for possessing cannabis.