Crown Advocate Carla Carvalho, prosecuting, explained that the offending came to light in November 2020 when Customs Officers intercepted a package at Jersey Post Headquarters featuring the address of the then-17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Inside the package, the officers found 102 blue Buddah-shaped tablets.

Officers searched the defendant’s home the next day. There, they found two empty postal packages, a set of small digital scales, around 14¾ orange MDMA tablets embossed with a #MeToo logo and a purse with £297 in cash inside.

She was then arrested on suspicion of being involved in the importation of drugs into Jersey.

When interviewed, she said she had been asked by someone else to provide her address to deliver MDMA, and that she would then pass the packages to them. She said she had not been expecting a second package and though there had been two or three in total.

A drug expert analysed her mobile phone and concluded that she had been knowingly concerned in importing and involved in the supply of drugs.

Estimating the tablets to be £20 to £30 each, the expert believed the batch could fetch between £2,300 and £3,400 if sold on the street.

The young woman pleaded guilty and was sentenced by the Royal Court last month, but its anonymised judgment has only been published this week.

The Royal Court – presided by Commissioner Julian Clyde-Smith, sitting with Jurats Anthony Olsen and Robert Christensen – were told her role was akin to that of a “minder” of the drugs.

While previous case guidance suggests a sentencing starting point of seven to nine years’ imprisonment for importing between one and 500 tablets, the court accepted that a non-custodial sentence could be imposed on account of her age and character.

“The Defendant is of good character, was co-operative with the police, provided the police with her PIN numbers to her phone and a signed bank authority. An examination of her phone showed nothing relating to drugs use and the investigation did not show that she had benefitted financially in any way, and she pleaded guilty at the first opportunity,” the Commissioner said.

Her legal representative, Advocate Hiren Mistry, had argued that a probation order would suffice. The court did not accept this, however, and ordered that the teenager should complete community service too.
“These are serious offences for which a deterrent sentence is needed, and the Defendant can consider herself very fortunate that because of her youth and the provisions of the Young Offenders Law a sentence of imprisonment is not being imposed upon her.”

Asking the young woman to stand up, the Commissioner directly told her: “We reiterate the point that was made to you earlier, that of course, if you offend again during this period of the Probation Order and the Community Service Order, you will be brought back to the Court, and you may then well be sentenced to imprisonment. But we are hopeful and confident that the Courts will never see you again.”

The Royal Court also ordered that the drugs be destroyed.