TEENAGE drugs courier Sophie Cosgrove tried to bring £90,000-worth of cannabis resin into the island to clear a £2,000 debt. But she was caught by Customs officers at the harbour and the Royal Court sentenced her to four-and-a-half years’ youth detention.

Cosgrove, 19, said she did not know there were drugs in the car in which she was a passenger although she had asked the man to whom she owed the money

She said he had been intimidating her and her family.

The search uncovered more than 10kg in the vehicle’s roof.

‘I’m very sorry,’ she said when allowed to address the court. ‘I feel ashamed and disappointed at what I’ve done and I wish I’d never done it.’

The court heard that there was enough to have made more than 69,500 reefer cigarettes.

Crown Advocate Graeme McKerrell told the court that Cosgrove had arrived in the island aboard the Clipper on Thursday 16 February.

The car was being driven by a woman friend who had her eight-year-old daughter with her.

She said they were coming for four days, but officers became suspicious as there was no change of clothes for the child.

Items in the boot tested positive for cannabis and 40 bars of it were found, bound with polythene and tape. Both women were arrested.

Cosgrove told officers she lived in London with her mother and was unemployed.

She produced documents that showed that a Peter Roberts owned the car.

A friend had agreed to drive it for her. Cosgrove was told she did not need to meet anyone, just go to a hotel and leave the keys underneath the car.

Her mobile phone was seized on arrival in Guernsey and a text on it read: ‘We’ve arrived, just waiting to get off the boat. Can you send us some credit so we can ring you so we know where to go.’

She said that once the car had been taken to the hotel, they had planned to fly back to England.

Advocate Chris Green said his client’s role had been one of courier and nothing else.

‘From the facts before you, there must have been others involved, but it’s only Miss Cosgrove who stands before you today,’ he said.

He said his client had been a vulnerable person at the time the offence was committed and six references provided to the court spoke very highly of her.

Lt-Bailiff Russell Finch said the defendant appeared to be a typical courier, but she had brought a large quantity of the drug to Guernsey.

The court determined the starting point for sentence as nine years’ youth detention.

She had admitted her guilt at the earliest opportunity which had saved the time and expense of a trial and he said she would receive full discount of a third for that.

The court had also taken account of her age and her personal circumstances.

A confiscation order was made for the drug and for the £5 that she had at the time of her arrest, which was deemed to be her only realisable asset.