Young People's Lives Are Being Blighted By Drugs

[rmanx 1,107]

 

In my opinion young people's lives are not being blighted by drugs, but they are being blighted by the retarded war on drugs. Two concurrent 5 year sentences for such a soft crime! That is just mental.

What is mental is that someone is stupid enough to break the law in this manner.

 

And how was he earning £50 a week? There is a minimum wage so it appears he works about 9 hours a week?

 

Hopefully this sort of sentencing will make these idiots think a bit before taking that sort of risk for a few hundred quid and in the process passing on misery. Well done the Deemster.

Yeap, lets put him in prison. Where he will be an even bigger drain on the system than the benefits he was on.

 

Lets further hinder his ability to find meaningful work by giving him a criminal record and keeping him out of society for 5 years and surround him with other criminals. In 5 years time what hope does this young man (well he wont be when he comes out) have of leading a normal life? We will have to continue supporting him through benefits.

 

Change the law, try to solve the problem.

 

The big joke being that while they caught one guy with a small amount of drugs, the other 9 guys they sent through with the same amount will have successfully arrived at their destination.

 

I believe in retail terms it is considered a "loss leader".

[Roger Mexico 9,299]

it was good of the deemster to express his concern for the blighting of young lives before sentencing this young life to 5 years

 

To be fair to the Deemster, to some extent his hands are tied by sentencing guidelines (which in turn will be mainly copied from the UK). But the whole thing seems to be a pointless ritual and from Montgomerie's comments he probably feels the same way.

Even he sees the pointlessness of demanding names of those further up the supply chain from couriers. If they do know something substantial, they will be under real threat. Which says something about the failure of the state to protect its citizens - maybe it's only imaginary threats, like drugs, which they effective against. And of course even names wouldn't be much good - you can bet the police have a pretty good idea anyway. It's evidence that is needed, and just the word of a courier isn't going to convict anyone.

 

Yet again I'm struck by the small amount of drugs involved and you can't help feeling that this idiot was sacrificed as a distraction from the importation of much larger quantities. I'm not suggesting that the police conspire in this sort of farce to show that they are 'doing something' while letting the big boys go free. They probably find the situation frustrating as well. But the effect is pretty much the same.

 

We (and much of the rest of the world) seem to have got into a situation where an illusory 'war' on drugs is being conducted at great expense, mainly to make sections of the population feel smug. I'm sure there are cheaper alternatives.

[woolley 19,198]

 

 

In my opinion young people's lives are not being blighted by drugs, but they are being blighted by the retarded war on drugs. Two concurrent 5 year sentences for such a soft crime! That is just mental.

What is mental is that someone is stupid enough to break the law in this manner.

 

And how was he earning £50 a week? There is a minimum wage so it appears he works about 9 hours a week?

 

Hopefully this sort of sentencing will make these idiots think a bit before taking that sort of risk for a few hundred quid and in the process passing on misery. Well done the Deemster.

Yeap, lets put him in prison. Where he will be an even bigger drain on the system than the benefits he was on.

 

Lets further hinder his ability to find meaningful work by giving him a criminal record and keeping him out of society for 5 years and surround him with other criminals. In 5 years time what hope does this young man (well he wont be when he comes out) have of leading a normal life? We will have to continue supporting him through benefits.

 

Change the law, try to solve the problem.

 

The big joke being that while they caught one guy with a small amount of drugs, the other 9 guys they sent through with the same amount will have successfully arrived at their destination.

 

I believe in retail terms it is considered a "loss leader".

 

I take your points but it will not be anything like 5 years on prison. Probably less than 2.

[rmanx 1,107]

I take your points but it will not be anything like 5 years on prison. Probably less than 2.

Same difference. The overall effect will be the same.

 

Also in the mean time, the suppliers will have employed god knows how many other "disposible" low level mules, so its not like putting this guy away is going to make any noticeable difference to the gangs income.

[manxb&b 1,642]

So a Polish bloke gets community service after being caught with heroin and cocaine (again) and a young local bloke gets 5 years for being caught with just cocaine (with no mention of any previous). Well at least our justice system could never be accused of looking after it's own eh? Unless of course ''it's own'' happens to be rich or connected, or both). Absolutely shocking lack of consistency.

[woolley 19,198]

That Polish bloke was "a Douglas man" according to the paper.

[slinkydevil 4,669]

I take your points but it will not be anything like 5 years on prison. Probably less than 2.

I believe he was on two charges, importation and intent to supply at 5 years each plus a smaller charge.

 

So full sentence of 10 years 3 months.

[tameelf 112]

thats how it came across to me slinky

[Roger Mexico 9,299]

That Polish bloke was "a Douglas man" according to the paper.

 

Well you can be both of course. Maybe he'll write in 'Manx' on his Census Form.

[gettafa 6,542]

 

I take your points but it will not be anything like 5 years on prison. Probably less than 2.

I believe he was on two charges, importation and intent to supply at 5 years each plus a smaller charge.

 

So full sentence of 10 years 3 months.

 

Weren't the sentences to run concurrently?

[notwell 5,721]

 

 

As Deemster Doyle told one defendant: 'Keep away from people involved in drugs. They are violent, dangerous and evil people.'

And I wouldn't dare go against him....

 

 

the problem being that living over here you don't really have anywhere to go/hide if druggy mates want to find you. keeping away is not as easy as it sounds.

 

Really?

I know stacks of people that don't take drugs. It's not hard to avoid it and it's even easier not to get involved in it.

[notwell 5,721]

 

I take your points but it will not be anything like 5 years on prison. Probably less than 2.

Same difference. The overall effect will be the same.

 

Also in the mean time, the suppliers will have employed god knows how many other "disposible" low level mules, so its not like putting this guy away is going to make any noticeable difference to the gangs income.

 

Well let's give him a cuddle then.

 

This sends out a clear message to low level mules - 10 years (call it 5 for being "good") is long enough to think about things over a few hundred quid.

 

This guy is probably safer in prison to be honest. Anyone who is that fucking stupid needs saving from themselves.

[rmanx 1,107]

I know stacks of people that don't take drugs.

I bet a lot more people who you know take drugs of some description than you think.

[the stinking enigma 11,119]

of some prescription

[rmanx 1,107]

Well let's give him a cuddle then.

 

This sends out a clear message to low level mules - 10 years (call it 5 for being "good") is long enough to think about things over a few hundred quid.

 

This guy is probably safer in prison to be honest. Anyone who is that fucking stupid needs saving from themselves.

You have no idea how even the most basic concepts of how the whole drug smuggling and distribution thing works do you?

 

He is of no consequence to the drugs trade what so ever, hence the term disposable. No one in the drugs gangs will give two hoots if he does 1, 5 or 10 years in jail. All it has cost them is a few kilos of product (believe me there is always plenty more where that came from).

 

As for him, given how much product actually makes it to the island (someone must be buying it or they wouldn't be trying to send it here), the odds of being caught were such that he thought it was worth it. £500 when you live in a bedsit on £50 a week benefits can seem very attractive.