Liverpool-born Francis Mkatapa (31), who claimed he only committed the crime because he was under threat, yesterday appeared in the Royal Court to be sentenced for the attempted importation, which saw him conceal just over 130g of the Class A drug internally in October last year.
Crown Advocate Emma Hollywood, prosecuting, explained that Mkatapa was stopped by Customs Officers shortly after arriving at Jersey Airport from Liverpool.
Questioned about the purpose of his visit, Mkatapa told officers that “he was a record producer and that he was in Jersey for just one night to meet an industry contact named ‘Shivs’ at a recording studio”.
Video: Mkatapa shielded his face with a copy of ‘Boxing News’ when leaving the Royal Court after his sentencing.
However, when questioned further, “the defendant was unable to provide the surname of the industry contact; he was similarly unable to provide any information with regard to the recording studio where the purported meeting was to take place”.
Crown Advocate Hollywood told the Court that combining Mkatapa’s “vague story together with the result of the swab test” on his mobile phone which gave a high reading for cocaine, “the officers were suspicious”.
It transpired that Mkatapa was concealing the drugs internally, and he was subsequently arrested and charged.
Although the prosecution accepted the 31-year-old was merely acting as a “courier”, the Crown Advocate emphasised that even this is “a vital part in a long chain” of drug supply. The cocaine was also found to be 92% purity.
The Court was told that Mkatapa also has a previous conviction for possession with intent to supply.
Advocate Giles Emmanuel, representing Mkatapa, said that this importation arose from an “unfortunate incident” where he was “threatened with physical violence” until he smuggled the cocaine into Jersey.
Pictured: The cocaine was found to be 92% purity.
The defence lawyer also said that his client “was unaware of the purity” of the drugs, emphasising that Mkatapa did not stand to gain financially from the importation.
Speaking about Mkatapa’s personal circumstances, Advocate Emmanuel told the Court that he has worked in education, youth clubs, the church and community centres in his local area.
The Advocate also told the Court that Mkatapa “shows remorse” for the offence, but that he had been exploited by those who pressured him into carrying it out who “saw and opportunity of weakness and they took it”.
Royal Court Commissioner Julian Clyde-Smith was presiding. He was accompanied by Jurats Gareth Hughes, Steven Austin-Vautier, Rozanne Thomas, Pamela Pitman and Robert Christensen sitting as the ‘Superior Number’, which only assembles to hear the most serious of cases.
Handing down the sentence, the Commissioner said the Court accepted Mkatapa’s remorse as “genuine”.
Commissioner Clyde-Smith added that, had the drugs entered the supply in Jersey, the risk of harm to the community would be “high”.
“You only need look at the recent death of a 19-year-old… in order to see the harm that is done to our community,” he said.
Mkatapa was subsequently sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment.