Man caught with £24k worth of cocaine in microwave jailed

Thomas McBurnie and Kirsty Quilliam were sentenced at Douglas Courthouse

A man caught with cocaine with a street value of more than £24,800 which was hidden in a microwave has been jailed for seven years and 10 months.

Thomas McBurnie, 25, was arrested after picking up the parcel from Douglas in August 2021 and loading it in a van.

Douglas Courthouse heard the parcel had been delivered to Kirsty Quilliam in Hillside Terrace.

Quilliam, 40, was jailed for five years and eight months for her part in importing the drugs.

The parcel containing the microwave was delivered to her home at about 10:30 BST on 6 August and phone calls, texts and Snapchat messages between her, McBurnie and two others followed.

Messages sent by the group earlier included details of how to dismantle and reassemble a microwave, the court heard.

At about 13:15 McBurnie arrived in a white van, went into Quilliam's home to pick up the parcel before taking it into the van.

The pair were then both arrested.

The court heard Quilliam was in breach of a previous suspended sentence, while McBurnie had been subject to an extended licence period.

'Absolute rubbish'

Quilliam said she had agreed to have the parcel delivered to her address and pass it on to someone else and knew it contained drugs, but denied opening it or knowing it would be cocaine.

However, her fingerprint was found on the plastic wrapper inside the box.

She later pleaded guilty to being concerned in the importation of cocaine to the island and being concerned in the supply of the drug.

Quilliam's advocate said she was a single parent and was worried what would happen to her child if she were to be jailed.

McBurnie, of Kionney Avenue in Douglas, initially said he had been sent to collect the microwave for a friend, but later pleaded guilty to being concerned in the importation of cocaine, the court was told.

His defence advocate argued that he did not know that the drugs would be class A when he became involved.

But Deemster Graeme Cook said McBurnie's original story had been "absolute rubbish".

"You knew what you were going for, you knew what was inside," he said.

Sending Quilliam to prison, Deemster Cook said: "It is a sad case that your daughter is going to be deprived of you for some years.

"You should have thought of that when you became involved in all of this," he said.

He said he had to send a message that importing class A drugs to the island "needs to stop".

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