Ramsey man who had £10k of cannabis sent to home jailed

Defence advocate David Clegg said the 33-year-old used cannabis to treat his anxiety

A man who had cannabis worth about £10,000 sent to his home in the post has been jailed.

Kenny Garaty, of Parliament Street, Ramsey, admitted agreeing to have a package containing about 1lb 1oz (500g) of the class B drug posted to him.

The 33-year-old was sentenced to 21 months at Douglas Courthouse.

Deemster Graeme Cook said the Isle of Man needed to "protect its shores" and he hoped the punishment would be a "deterrent factor" to others.

The court heard a parcel filled with cannabis and addressed to Garaty was intercepted at a postal sorting office on 1 May.

'Ridiculous increase'

The 33-year-old was arrested the following day, but was later released after denying any knowledge of the package.

An investigation revealed text messages indicating he was expecting a delivery.

Garaty subsequently admitted agreeing to accept the package to police on 23 June.

Defence advocate David Clegg said the 33-year-old used cannabis to treat his anxiety and was the "absolute bottom of the totem pole" in terms of the island's illegal drug trade.

He said Garety had been approached by a man who told him he would get about £300 for receiving the parcel.

Garaty "went along with it" because he had felt "intimidated" by the man, Mr Clegg said, adding that the 33-year-old's vulnerabilities had been "taken advantage of by someone who was going to make a lot of money".

Sentencing him, the deemster said there had been a "ridiculous increase" in the amount of cannabis imported to the island and it was not "acceptable".