Isle of Man drug dealers caught on beach with £69k of heroin jailed

James Quayle and Niall Hughes were sentenced at Douglas Courthouse

Two dealers who collected £69,000 of heroin from a beach have been jailed.

James Quayle and Niall Hughes were found with drugs in a rucksack in the footwell of a car near Dog Mills Beach in Bride, Isle of Man, on 21 July.

A search of Quayle's home revealed £5,700 in cash stashed in a cooker hood, with a further £3,900 later detected hidden in a jar in the garden.

Quayle, 31, was jailed for eight-and-a-half years while Hughes, 26, was sentenced to five years and 10 months.

Deemster Graeme Cook said heroin was an "awful drug" that caused "misery".

The men were arrested near Dog Mills beach in the north of the island

The court heard police saw the two men leaving Quayle's home in Thornhill Close, Ramsey, in a black Audi at about 15:15 BST, travelling towards Bride.

A short time later, they were seen walking on the beach with a dog, with one of the men making his way over a sandy verge with the rucksack over his shoulder.

When he returned, the pair went back to Quayle's car and placed the bag in the footwell, before being approached by police.

When challenged, Hughes told officers there were drugs in the bag.

The heroin was found in a tub in the rucksack, along with a set of scales, a blender and two mobile phones.

A search of Hughes' home in Bircham Avenue, Ramsey, found several mobile phones, latex gloves and a heat sealer, while police found a number of other electronic devices and the cash at Quayle's home.

He initially told the police the money was from gambling wins, and the sale of property.

Analysis of the mobile phones revealed evidence of drug dealing by the pair.

Both men pleaded guilty at Douglas Courthouse to possession of drugs with intent to supply, with Quayle admitting additional charges of money laundering.

Sentencing the pair, Deemster Cook said heroin was a "disgusting drug" that "brings misery to those who take it" and their families.