Eleven jailed in night-time drug dealing crackdown

Sentences were handed out over two days at Douglas Courthouse

A drug dealer who sold cocaine to undercover police officers before being caught with a quantity of the drug in his home has been jailed for six years.

Dylan McCallion, 24, was one of 16 people sentenced at by Deemster Graeme Cook following a police operation to target drug dealing in the night-time economy.

Eleven of those charged were jailed, while the other five received suspended sentences.

Deemster Cook said the penalties handed down should "act as a deterrent to future street dealers".

Operation Nightjar saw undercover officers seek out cocaine dealers operating in the island's night-time economy.

Carried out between August and November 2023, it saw 18 individuals charged with offences of being involved in supply of cocaine or possession of the drug.

'Public Duty'

The court heard that McCallion sold two wraps of cocaine to undercover officers on 8 September.

After he was arrested, a search of his home found about one ounce (27.4g) of the drug, as well as £2,360 in cash and a Rolex watch valued at £13,500.

He pleaded guilty to supplying the drug and possession of it with intent to supply.

Caleb Langton, 27, arranged to sell the drug to undercover officers on Snapchat, under the username Gingerninja56.

He was sentenced to three years and four months in jail for five charges of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and two of supplying it.

Eight other men and one woman were jailed for between two years,10 months and two years, two months, while five others were handed suspended sentences.

Deemster Cook said it was "quite clear" that the police operation had been "brought about by the scale of drugs supplying at street level as evidenced by the number of arrests".

"I have a public duty to sentence accordingly," he said.

Det Ch Insp Michelle McKillop, who lead the operation, said while the Isle of Man was "relatively safe", the police were seeing an "increase in serious assaults and the severity of assaults which are linked to organised crime".

"Vulnerable members of the community are being exploited to facilitate organised crime locally, not only that but the blase attitude we have seen towards dealing Class A controlled drugs by these individuals is a concern," she added.

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