Drugs and criminal cash worth £1m seized since July
BBCCriminal cash and drugs worth more than £1m have been seized at ports on the Isle of Man since July 2024, the government has confirmed.
About £150,000 in cash and more than £880,000 worth of cannabis and cocaine, have been intercepted during the period along with some instances of steroids or prescription drugs.
The Isle of Man Constabulary and Customs teams have made the discoveries at Ronaldsway Airport, the island's Sea Terminal in Douglas and via postal checks.
The criminal goods were found concealed in vehicles, in parcels and freight, through searches of individuals, or through a mixture of random stops and existing police intelligence.
The operations have led to a number of prosecutions or financial penalties, as well as civil forfeiture proceedings, with a number of cases still ongoing.
The value of single seizures of drugs ranged from £100 to £220,000, and cash seizures were made when cash had not been declared.
'Clear message'
In September, the Department of Home Affairs launched a strategy to tighten security at the island's borders.
Minister Jane Poole-Wilson MHK, said the figures showed the "multi-agency approach to preventing, detecting and pursuing crime, led by the Constabulary, is disrupting criminal networks and safeguarding our residents" was being "effectively implemented".
The seizures sent a "clear message" that the Isle of Man was "not a soft target for organised crime", she said.
Chief Constable Russ Foster said joint working between the constabulary and Customs was making the island a "hostile environment for organised crime".
"By seizing drugs and the proceeds of crime in this way we are striking at the heart of these illicit criminal enterprises", he said.
Alongside other law enforcement partners "we will continue to disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups who are blighting our island and bring the perpetrators to justice", he added.
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