A MAN went on a drugs run after a kitchen porter with a gun told him there would be ‘big trouble’ if he did not, the Royal Court was told yesterday. Diamantino Miranda, 44, admitted importing 64 grams of heroin with a local street value of between £19,200 and £38,400 and was jailed for five-and-a-half years.
He had arrived from Portsmouth on a Condor ferry one afternoon in April. A detection dog gave a positive indication on the defendant’s shoes. When he removed them, a plastic-wrapped package was found in the toe of each. A similar, smaller package was found in an empty crisp bag in a trouser pocket and he was arrested.
Asked what the packages were, he replied through an interpreter: ‘I thought I was going to get it through. It was not for me. I like whisky but I don’t take drugs.’
When interviewed, he said that a man whom he knew as Rui, who worked at a hotel in the St Martin’s area and had a gun, had told him he must go and had arranged his trip. He knew it was to collect drugs.
Rui promised to pay him £2,000 when he delivered them.
He had travelled to the UK by ferry some three days before his arrest. There, a man whom he thought was called Gary met him. Gary took the defendant on a three-hour drive to his home. Gary had initially put the drugs in a condom and told Miranda to swallow them, but he refused.
The drugs were instead put in latex-wrapped packages in his shoes and covered in pepper, perfume and something that Miranda said looked like soap to avoid detection.
Miranda thought the crisp packet had been put there by someone who wanted him to get caught.
He told officers that the arrangements had been made on his mobile phone. He could not remember the numbers and had left the phone on the ferry.
Advocate David Domaille said that his client had entered a guilty plea at the first available opportunity. He had not organised or financed the operation.
‘Mr Miranda explained, possibly in more detail than one would expect, what had happened,’ he said. ‘He was a pawn in a much bigger package.’
Deputy Bailiff Richard Collas said that it was typical of those involved in drug importation to take advantage of the weak and vulnerable to be the courier.
‘We have to reflect the seriousness of the offence,’ he said.
Sentence was then imposed, to start from the time of his arrest. He will be supervised on his release.
A forfeiture and destruction order was made on the drugs.
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