Two heroin dealers who picked up £69,200-worth of drugs from a beach have been jailed for a combined total of more than 14 years.

Car wash owner James William Francis Quayle was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison while painter and decorator Niall Paul Hughes was jailed for five years and 10 months.

The pair were arrested as part of the police’s ’Operation Achilles’, a joint effort between UK and Manx authorities to tackle organised crime.

Deemster Graeme Cook told the two men: ’Heroin is a disgusting drug. It brings misery to those who take it, and to their families.’

Prosecuting advocate James Robinson told the court that, on July 21 last year, police saw 31-year-old Quayle leave his Thornhill Close address in Ramsey in an Audi A3 with Hughes, who is 26, as a passenger.

They were followed to Dog Mills beach, just south of Bride.

One of them went down a grass verge, then picked up an item.

They both walked back to the Audi and were confronted by police.

A large quantity of brown powder was found in a rucksack which was suspected to be heroin.

Quayle, who was the owner of Bay Wash on South Quay in Douglas, had two phones on him and police also found scales, a blender and plastic tubs in his car.

Police also found an empty tupperware tub on the beach where the two men had just visited.

Search warrants were executed at their homes and at Quayle’s address, police found £5,740 in the hood of a cooker, as well as vacuum packaging, and a number of electronic devices.

The fingerprints of both men were found on the packaging of the cash.

More cash, totalling £3,950, was found later in a jar in the garden and Quayle was said to have made a call from his cell to a contact saying, ’Remember about the hedgehogs in the garden and where they go,’ which was thought to relate to the cash.

At Hughes’ home, at Bircham Avenue in Ramsey, police found a heat sealer and gloves.

The brown powder was confirmed as heroin weighing 276.19 grams with a purity of 26%. It had been mixed with paracetamol and caffeine.

When interviewed, Quayle denied any knowledge of the brown power and claimed the cash was legitimate, saying it was from gambling and property sales.

’no comment’

He claimed he had sold a jet ski but no evidence of this was ever found. Hughes gave a ’no comment’ interview.

Quayle initially pleaded not guilty to possessing heroin with intent to supply and two counts of money laundering, but later changed his pleas to guilty after evidence from mobile phones was presented to him.

Hughes pleaded guilty to possessing heroin with intent to supply.

The court heard that Quayle was jailed in 2014 for 27 months for possession with intent to supply a class ’B’ drug, for 16 months in 2019 for possession with intent to supply a class ’B’ drug and money laundering, and for 10 months in 2020 for money laundering and possessing drugs.

Hughes has no relevant previous convictions.

Defence advocate Peter Taylor said that Quayle still maintained that some of the money found in the cooker hood was from a legitimate smart watch business.

’The reason he had cash there was because his business premises weren’t secure and wages were paid in cash,’ said the advocate.

’There are only three roles, leading, significant, and lesser. He believes he is towards the lesser end, nowhere near a leading role, but he certainly had a role that is above a mere dealer.

’That doesn’t indicate he was the main player in this.

’He regrets the shame he’s brought on his family, his mum was too upset to even come today.

’His wife is in court but he is devastated by the effect it’s had on her.

’Two of his grandparents are in their 90s and he regrets he probably isn’t going to see them again.’

Jim Travers represented Hughes and said: ’In my submission nothing more could have really been asked of Mr Hughes since his arrest. He entered his guilty plea less than 24 hours after he was arrested.

’He has been entrusted with the role of gardener and maintenance man involving working beyond the prison walls. That is a position only given to trusted inmates.

subservient

’Clearly Mr Hughes has played a lesser or subservient role in this offence.’

Mr Travers went on to say that his client had become involved because he had a drug debt.

’It’s a sad story. Up until May 2021 he was engaged as a painter and decorator with Ramsey Town Commissioners.’

While passing sentence Deemster Cook told the two men: ’It seems very lucky you are both not charged with importation. It is speculation that the drugs were in a box and must have been deposited by someone in a boat.’