Man who tried to collect £9k of cannabis sentenced

Gary Bowie was handed a suspended sentence at Douglas Courthouse

A man who tried to have a parcel containing £9,000 of cannabis addressed to someone else delivered to his own home has been sentenced.

Gary Bowie, 31, visited the the Isle of Man Post Office in May claiming to be the addressee and asked to have it delivered to the alternative location.

Douglas Couthouse heard the drugs had already been intercepted by the authorities and Bowie was arrested after accepting a dummy package dropped off at his home.

Handing him a 14-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, Deemster Graeme Cook said it was "good news" that the cannabis had now been "taken from the street".

Douglas Courthouse the heard the parcel had been sent to an address in Ramsey from the United States and had arrived on the island on 4 May when it was intercepted by customs and excise officials and found to contain cannabis.

After the drugs had been removed, an attempt was made to deliver it to the address on 10 May but nobody was home.

The following day, Bowie went the post office claiming to be the addressee and asked about the parcel but did not know its delivery address.

He returned the following day with the attempted delivery card left the previous day, and asked for the parcel to instead be delivered to his own address in Brookhill Road in the town.

Bowie was arrested after accepting the parcel when it was delivered to his home on 15 May.

When interviewed he told officers he had been offered £300 to get hold of the package, but said he knew what was in it and had intended to keep it for himself.

He pleaded guilty to attempting to possess cannabis with the intent to supply.

Suspending the sentence, Deemster Cook said that was "appropriate in relation to what custody could do to you".