A man who imported cocaine with a street value of £99,400 to the Isle of Man hidden in a mini fridge has been jailed for nine years.
Peter Nulty, 40, had arranged to have the appliance delivered by a courier to the home address of Rosemary Burgess in Laxey under an alias in September.
Douglas Courthouse heard the pair were arrested after the package was intercepted by police following its shipment to the island.
Burgess, 22, was sentenced to eight years in prison for her part in the plot.
The court heard a parcel was shipped to the island by an independent courier on 29 September addressed to Burgess’ home on Old Laxey Hill, in Laxey, under the false name of Jessica Summers.
The parcel was intercepted by police after being identified as “suspicious” when it arrived on the island and officers found 2.2lb (994g) of cocaine hidden inside a mini fridge.
Burgess, who was on bail for cannabis offences at the time after signing for a package containing £37,000 of the drug in May, was arrested three days later and investigations found extensive communications between the the pair.
The court heard Nulty had sent several voice messages to Burgess, one of which said: “Could be getting a box of ketamine, what can you do with that?”
‘Misery’
The 40-year-old was arrested on 18 December, and a search of his home in Tynwald Street, in Douglas, uncovered £8,900 in cash wrapped in cellophane in a cardboard box on top of a wardrobe in his bedroom, along with a small amount of cocaine.
Nulty previously pleaded guilty to the importation of cocaine, possession of the drug, and money laundering.
Burgess had pleaded guilty to the importation of cocaine, possession of the drug intent to supply, as well as charges of importing cannabis and possession of cannabis with intent to supply.
Nulty’s defence advocate argued that he had thought it was ketamine in the parcel and not cocaine.
Burgess’s defence advocate said that she was vulnerable as she had a drug addiction and had played a lesser role in bringing the cocaine to the island.
Jailing the pair, Deemster Graeme Cook said drug supply on the island was “becoming far too common” and sentences needed to reflect the “misery” the substances caused.
The deemster said while he accepted that Burgess was “vulnerable”, he could not “accept the principle” that people in her position “should receive greatly discounted sentences”.
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