Tuesday 19 March 2013
Paul Robert Jeffreys, a 56-year-old non-local man appeared before the Guernsey Royal Court where he entered a guilty plea to the importation of Fentanyl, a controlled drug of Class A. The Fentanyl imported had a potential local resale value of approximately £2,700.
On 12 October 2012, Officers of the Guernsey Border Agency stopped Paul Jeffreys upon his arrival after travelling from Poole. Jeffreys initially stated that he did not have anything to declare, but when asked directly if he had any Fentanyl he admitted that he did. The Fentanyl, in the form of patches, were subsequently found concealed within the paper sleeves of two CD cases. Jeffreys was then arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the importation of a controlled drug.
In subsequent interviews, Jeffreys stated that he had brought the Fentanyl patches into the Island to give to a friend and that he would not receive payment for them.
Jeffreys was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months imprisonment from the date of his arrest with a compulsory supervision order for one quarter of his sentence. In his summing up Judge Finch said that the trafficking of this particular substance was exceedingly dangerous due to its association with abuse.
Fentanyl is an exceptionally strong painkiller which has several legitimate medical uses. In the UK it is also used to aide addicts to overcome opiate addiction, although it is not prescribed for this purpose locally.
A spokesperson for the Guernsey Border Agency said "There is a growing concern associated with the abuse of Fentanyl locally as it is a very dangerous drug if not used in the prescribed method. We view this Class A drug as harmful, posing a real risk to those in our local society that abuse Fentanyl and the fact that attempts are now being made to import it into the Island is being treated very seriously and resources are deployed to deal with this threat."
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