The deemster overseeing one of the island’s largest ever sentencing exercises hopes the punishment he has handed down will act as a deterrent for potential drug dealers.

Those involved in dealing cocaine across the island have been sentenced to a total of 32 years in jail following a huge police operation to clamp down on street dealing.

Operation Nightjar launched in the latter half of 2023, with Isle of Man Constabulary working alongside the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit to identify individuals actively dealing cocaine during the night-time in Douglas.

Over the course of the last week, Deemster Graeme Cook has been tasked with handing down sentences to 16 of those people arrested as part of the operation.

During sentencing he said: ‘The operation targeted the night-time drug dealing activity which feeds the business model of organised crime groups.

‘The ultimate aim was to reduce the use and supply of class A controlled drugs in the Isle of Man.

‘It is quite clear to me that the police operation was brought about by the scale of drug supplying at street level as evidenced by the number of arrests and I have a public duty to sentence accordingly in the hope that the sentences will act as a deterrent to future street dealers who may have second thoughts about dealing to unknown third parties.

‘Drugs bring misery to families and friends often resulting in theft to feed an addiction or violence to obtain money either for drugs or to punish a debtor.’

As part of Operation Nightjar, undercover officers were deployed to seek out and identify those dealing cocaine in the capital by taking on the role of drug users looking to purchase cocaine, and used telephone calls, text messages and social media apps, including Snapchat, to contact drug suppliers and their associates.

Following the undercover operation a series of arrests were made throughout January and February this year.

A total of 16 people have been sentenced during a week-long sitting of General Gaol overseen by Deemster Graeme Cook.

The first three days were taken up by mitigation from the defendants’ advocates and then sentencing took place on Thursday and Friday – believed to be the largest such sentencing exercise held in the island’s Courts of Justice.

You can read about the sentences handed out here.