Jersey ‘one of Britain’s most lucrative drugs markets
Wednesday 6th February 2013, 2:00PM GMT.
Dave Nurse, director of law enforcement at Customs
JERSEY has become one of the most lucrative illegal drugs markets in Britain for criminal gangs – with addicts paying as much as 500 per cent more than those in the UK.
Gangs, mainly based in London and Liverpool, are routinely attempting to exploit the huge price difference by recruiting so-called drugs mules – usually vulnerable young women – to smuggle heroin, cocaine and cannabis into the Island.
Today, in the third day of a special series examining Jersey’s drug scene, the JEP can reveal that the smuggling attempts are being fuelled by the massive mark-up in Jersey, where addicts will pay £1,000 for a gram of heroin which would fetch just £160 in the UK.
Read the full story in the Jersey Evening Post. Click here for subscription details. Individual editions are also available online.
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Jersey Evening Post
FINALLY! – Some good news for the island’s economy. The new jobs that this industry will create are very welcome.
Together with finance, I think these two industries will drive our revival.
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Good thinking Johnty…
Plus, as its all the bankers who are on the gear the 2 should flourish in perfect harmony !
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£1000.00! I’m not surprised. Blame it on the high rents, non english dealers and lack of parking.
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This comment made my day. Classic!
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And again this proves the Island is overpriced, even when it comes to drugs:-)
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If you look at customs seizures their class a seizures are well down. They should be focusing in on this menance instead of illegal cigarettes
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Can’t the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority do something about this to bring the price down?
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Only if you use your phone to make the deal, then they will be in there like a rat up a drainpipe.
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Only Drug dealers seems to be interested in Jersey. All the big firms are pulling out !
When Warren was caught with 1 million worth of cannabis at street value, it was probably worth £200 000 in the UK. Shame that it costed us 2 millions of real money to put him behind bars.
He would have done the same in California, he would have been classed as a managing director, employing 10 staff, paying taxes , and helping in reducing the heavy burden of the social security. Ha Ha…
It will never stop. So many scum bags/ low life junkies have nothing else better to do than making easy money by selling drugs.
I am not surprised junkies have to turn to crime when you see those prices.
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2 million to apprehend CW and get his drugs, with a street value of 1 million, off the street?
HMRC would be better off buying their drugs at the going rate like everybody else. Could’ve saved us a million – just think what that could’ve bought!
- everyone should check out ‘The Street I Live In’, excellent documentary about the ‘war on drugs’.
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I forgot something like £20 000 to save the policemen from going to jail or losing their job ( at our expense again).
We all know that they broke the law to get him behind bars. The police breaking the law to catch criminals !?!?!
Its obvious that they are in control !
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They couldn’t find any drugs anyway, so they could only charge him with (rustling the pages of the law book furtively) erm , conspiracy, your honour.
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So what?! Everything has a huge mark-up so why not drugs!
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So what have customs been doing. Too busy dealing with GST.
Also Jersey immigration, another useless states depatment. Now the signs are showing.SNAFU!
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For those that have not worked it out yet… this is a
Positive article for the Island. The drugs are so highly priced because it is very difficult to get it here. Price of these sort of things is purely down to supply and demand- The supply is low so the price is high.
This is all down to customs and immigration doing a good job, keep up the good work!
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What do you do when prices are to high locally ?
You go on Internet !!!
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And they wonder why people turn to things like ‘legal highs’ and alcohol.
Jersey has created this issue. We are in a prime position to lead the world with modernised drug control and instead, we are being treated like fools, exploited by gangs, treated like idiots and worst of all, being told nothing we didn’t already know !
Why is it that the people in charge are usually the last to know, realize or act ?
For the record, I am not a drug user, I just see the legalization and control of Cannabis, as an example, as a legitimate way to dig the island our of a financial hole, stem the loss of countless money on the useless ‘War on drugs’ and lastly, keep from being sucked down by the global recession.
This should be considered as a serious new stream of revenue. Imagine the profits to be made from a government run Cannabis Cafe and licensed operation !!
Recession ? What recession !
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Jersey is the rich “cake” that got left out on a warm summers day!
The flys landed & created what we have to day.
A “steaming turd” of a dictotorial regime,
with fascist bigoted,small minded lefties.
Oh lords & ladies,just take a look at your island paradise in the sun!
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But do they understand why this is?
It’s because the penalties for getting caught are so high, that the price is high. This only goes to create an opportunity for anyone stupid enough to try.
Yet again the laws in Jersey have not worked.
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So drugs cost too much in Jersey? How about we make it an “in house” activity. Now, we have plenty of greenhouses lying around doing nothing and a large potential workforce of unemployed to tend ( or smoke )the crop and produce the product. Tax it at source and export what we don’t use, bingo, Lots of problems solved in one go.
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Jerseydaz, when are you going for election? You got my vote
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So what they are saying is that drug users (particularly heroin addicts) should move to the UK where the drugs are cheaper?
Well that works for me, maybe we should offer them assistance to go.
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Something for the “Weekend” guv?
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You cann’t buck the market. M Thatcher Cr 1981.
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Legal Highs
Anything that has been played around with in a lab normally isn’t going to help you much when its untested. These people who make these “legal highs” do purely for profit. They can be dangerous but also can be great fun, but they will never ever beat a natural source such as cannabis.
I was always told at school that all drugs are bad until I got told about the cannabis plant/hemp, I got told to watch a documentary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jO_ncXj7RE.
Watch this documentary it is full of facts not just about cannabis but about hemp and its uses and other drugs. I strongly believe that we as a island should look into the way cannabis is controlled.
Remember the goverments use to give heroin for the coughs.
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Do they really pay £1k per gram?
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