Two men jailed after drugs found stashed in vinery

Two men involved in the supply of class A and class B drugs found stashed in a vinery have been jailed.

Richard Le Cras, 47, and Matthew Lovell, 49, pleaded guilty at Guernsey's Royal Court to the supply of MDMA, ketamine, cannabis and cannabis resin.

Lovell also admitted to two counts of converting or transferring proceeds of criminal conduct, after officers uncovered about £460,000 in criminal funds.

At Wednesday's hearing, Le Cras was sentenced to 13 years and seven months in prison, while Lovell was jailed for 20 years and six months.

Le Cras was arrested in May last year after customs officers searched a vinery he leased in St Andrews, which was used by Lovell.

Officers found over 250g of MDMA in a silver-coloured briefcase, which Lovell had been seen interacting with. Evidence of drug trafficking activity was also found on the premises.

Lovell was subsequently arrested and officers seized more than £10,000 in cash and six Rolex watches from his home.

A search of a silver box trailer owned by Le Cras also found a substantial quantity of controlled drugs, including 1.9kg of cannabis, 27.4kg of cannabis resin and 191.3g of ketamine, the court was told.

Items seized from inside the trailer were analysed and positive DNA results linked both Lovell and Le Cras to the drugs.

In a parallel investigation, officers from the Economic and Financial Crime Bureau working with the Guernsey Customs and Immigration Service (GCIS) uncovered £460,000 in laundered money.

The evidence gathered formed the basis of the two money laundering convictions for which Lovell has been sentenced, Guernsey Customs and Immigration Service said.

The force added: "This was a very challenging and lengthy investigation.

"Due to the tenacity of all the GCIS and EFCB investigators involved and the extent of the evidence presented to the court this led to both defendants tendering guilty pleas."

It noted confiscation proceedings will now begin to "identify any assets that may be available for recovery".

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