“You have been foolish” – Visitor who claimed cannabis was “decriminalised” jailed over Guernsey import

A visitor who indicated to customs officers he did not believe Guernsey even had Customs was told he had put himself in “serious danger of going down” after unlawfully smuggling cannabis into the island.

In a sharply worded sentencing judgment, the Royal Court of Guernsey made clear that assumptions about relaxed attitudes to cannabis elsewhere counted for nothing when it came to Guernsey law.

A “strong smell”… but from where?

Christopher Philip Crowley (45) was sentenced in the Royal Court on 19 December after admitting the unlawful importation of 16.15g of cannabis, a Class B controlled drug. The maximum penalty for the offence is 21 years’ imprisonment.

Crowley, a non-local visitor, had arrived in Guernsey from Poole with another person on 25 August 2025. The court heard that there was “a strong smell of cannabis” coming from the vehicle, prompting a search.

He was asked several times whether he had anything to declare and replied “no”. He also denied using controlled drugs. When challenged about the smell, he said it was not a controlled drug and suggested officers were likely smelling a grinder.

He continued to deny having any cannabis in the car or on his person.

That denial did not last long.

What happens in Bournemouth…

Officers found cannabis weighing 16.15g, with a Guernsey street value estimated at between £646 and £807.50. A further 0.02g was found on the grinder.

The judgment explained how, during interview, Crowley told police that “back in Bournemouth the Police don’t do anything about cannabis” and said he self-medicated with it. He also suggested that he did not believe there were Customs in Guernsey and referred to decriminalisation in England.

The Lieutenant Bailiff, John Finch OBE, made clear that such arguments carried no weight.

“We point out that whatever action the UK authorities may take, this is still an offence there and has not been decriminalised,” he said.

A “good deal” of mitigation

The court noted that Crowley had previous convictions, including for drug possession in 2010 and 2013, as well as offences such as assault and criminal damage. However, it also accepted that his last conviction was in 2017 and that he had kept out of trouble since then.

Sentencing guidelines from the Court of Appeal required a starting point of three years’ imprisonment for the importation of cannabis up to 2kg.

But the court found there was “a good deal of mitigation” to consider.

The amount was for personal use, “although not miniscule”, and Crowley had entered a guilty plea early on.

“Serious danger of going down”

The court also took into account his employment, stable relationship, probation report and what the judge described as his success in grappling “pretty successfully with a serious drink problem”.

“This is not a guideline case and we stress very clearly that it is not one which is a precedent for anything,” the Lieutenant Bailiff said.

“You have been foolish and put yourself in serious danger of going down.”

Crowley was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, fined £1,000 payable immediately, and a destruction order was made for the cannabis.