Cannabis importation to Isle of Man getting out of hand, deemster says

The problem of people importing cannabis to the Isle of Man is "getting out of hand", a deemster has said.

Deemster Graeme Cook made his remark while sentencing a woman for importing the drug with the intent to supply.

Melissa Ardis admitted tracking a parcel containing the drug, which was addressed to her home.

Suspending the 27-year-old's 16-month jail term for two years, Deemster Cook said cannabis importation had become a major issue "over the past 18 months".

Douglas Courthouse heard the parcel, which contained cannabis worth about £1,000, was intercepted by post office staff on 15 October.

The parcel was being sent to a person with a different name at Ardis' home address in Clagh Vane, Ballasalla.

The court heard that when interviewed, she told police she did not recognise the name on the package and did not know why it had been sent to her address.

She also denied being a cannabis user.

A subsequent examination of her phone showed evidence that she was a regular user of the drug and had previously sold quantities of it to other people.

It also revealed she had ordered the drugs from someone in the UK via the video messaging app Snapchat and had used the tracking number for the parcel to check when it had arrived on the island.

She later admitted she did use the drug and had sold it to friends who were also regular users, but said she had never made a profit from it.

She admitted importing the drug and possession with intent to supply and was sentenced at Douglas Courthouse on Friday.

Sentencing her, Deemster Cook said the "amount of cannabis may be small but it's worth a lot of money".

"Over the past 18 months, the importation of cannabis is getting out of hand," he said.

He added that the sale of the drugs by Ardis "must have been done for some financial reward" as people did not "just give away" cannabis.

Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]