A key member of an organised crime gang involved in importing drugs to the Isle of Man and money laundering has been jailed for more than 20 years.

Leroy McHarrie, of Nursery Avenue, Onchan, was the island link in the gang which was being run by James Spotswood while he was serving time in Walton Prison in Merseyside.

McHarrie, 25, was involved in at least three drug plots which brought hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of cocaine and cannabis into the island.

He was also involved in money laundering, employing ‘money mules’ to hold more than half a million pounds in cash in a number of bank accounts.

The criminal gang’s activities came to light when a BMW was stopped at the ferry terminal in Douglas on June 6, 2022.

Following a search of the vehicle, 20 packages of cannabis weighing 3,920.95 grams were located behind the rear interior panels of the vehicle. The search also located a quantity of white powder, which was later found to be 999.56 grams of cocaine.

The cannabis, when sold, would have an estimated street value of over £78,000 and the cocaine would have an estimated street value of between £100,000 and £142,000.

Isle of Man Constabulary launched Operation Trident to investigate the drug production and Operation Aphrodite to look into money laundering.

In total, nine people were arrested across the two operations.

McHarrie, alongside Mohammed Hoosen, Mark Lucas and Debbie Kidger-Preston, were sentenced at the Court of General Gaol Delivery on Friday.

In relation to the drugs found in the BMW, when arrested, McHarrie answered ‘no comment’ to all questions put to him and denied the offences. This led to a trial in July this year when he was found guilty.

On September 15, 2022 a package was intercepted at the Isle of Man sorting office and found to contain 989g of cannabis bush valued at £9,780. Fingerprints on the wrapping were found to belong to McHarrie.

On October 11, 2022 another suspicious package was intercepted at the Isle of Man postal sorting office which was found to contain 159g of cocaine with a 78 per cent purity.

McHarrie pleaded guilty to both of these offences at the first available opportunity.

He also pleaded guilty to 11 counts of acquiring criminal property and three of transferring criminal property between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2022. The total amount involved £623,502 with 17 bank accounts linked to McHarrie

In his summing up, Deemster Graeme Cook said: ‘You were classed as the main suspect in the investigation and from the interrogation of your mobile phone various bank accounts were searched showing you to have laundered criminal money (by implication from drug dealing) through various companies and bank accounts and also enlisting Hoosen; Lucas and Kidger-Preston to assist you in your criminal activity.’

McHarrie was deemed the second-in-command in relation to the drug production led by Spotswood and the prime mover in the money laundering operation. Spotswood was jailed for 15 years in August last year for his role in the drug importation plot.

Deemster Cook outlined the aggravating features which were that McHarrie was part of a group action, there was planning involved, a high level of profit, links to an organised crime gang and his previous convictions for drug possession

He was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison for the drugs offences and a further four years nine months for the money laundering offences to run consecutively.

The ‘money mules’ were also sentenced alongside McHarrie.

Deemster Cook said: ‘With all criminal enterprises, particularly involving drugs and organised crime, the principal offenders have and always will need people who are prepared to risk capture and consequent sentences. There needs to be some form of deterrence.’

Former trainee advocate Hoosen, of Main Road, Greeba, had a total of five bank accounts with £90,356 of unexplained deposits in them. The money was transferred into accounts controlled by McHarrie or through his shell companies.

The period of offending was between May 27, 2021 to June 23, 2023 with Hoosen, 27, facing nine separate charges relating to transferring, acquiring or converting criminal property.

His three years and six months sentence was reduced to 20 months due to the fact he had no previous convictions, he showed remorse, had lost his profession, his early guilty plea and that he suffered with mental health issues.

Lucas, of Clypse Road, Douglas had previously pleaded guilty to nine counts of transferring criminal property and two of acquiring criminal property which were committed between December 31, 2021 and July 27, 2023.

The 37-year-old used two bank accounts and involved hundreds of thousands of pounds. He was jailed for 22 months which was reduced from four years due to having no relevant previous convictions, his early guilty plea and the fact he has a young daughter.

Kidger-Preston, 48, of Ballafletcher Road, Douglas, also used two bank accounts involving hundreds of thousands of pounds over the same period as Lucas.

Her three-and-a-half year sentence was reduced to 20 months due to having no previous convictions, showing remorse and her early guilty plea.

Deemster Cook decided to suspend her sentence for two years under supervision due to having a son with social needs, being in employment and having no history of substance abuse.