Jordan Ashley Brayford, 29, a soldier from Bentilee in Stoke-on-Trent, was jailed for five years and one month at Douglas Courthouse on 17 March 2023 after bringing cannabis to the Isle of Man in a van.[1] Deemster Graeme Cook sentenced him to five years and one month for the importation and four years to run concurrently for possession with intent to supply.[2] He pleaded guilty to importing cannabis and possessing the drug with intent to supply.[3] The court also banned him from returning to the island for five years after his release.[3] He had already admitted importing cannabis worth £284,000 and was remanded in custody ahead of the March hearing.[4]
He arrived from Heysham on the ferry on 27 January in a Mercedes van.[2] He left the van in a lane at Greeba and went drinking, then could not remember where he had parked it.[3] The following day he went to Ramsey police station and told officers he had lost the van, and checks showed he was absent without leave, so he was arrested.[1] Isle of Man Today reported that police arrested him at the Ramsey Park Hotel on 30 January and found the van at Greeba the next day.[2] He had been absent without leave since 2 January from the 25 Training Regiment Royal Logistics Corps at Normandy Barracks in Leconfield, Yorkshire.[2]
Police found the van damaged and abandoned with the keys in the ignition, and a search uncovered the cannabis in 30 vacuum-sealed bags in two concealed compartments in the floor.[3] The compartments were opened with a remote control found on Brayford.[3] Manx Radio said the packages were cannabis bush worth £284,232, and Deemster Cook put the weight at 14.2 kg.[1] His advocate said he had agreed to drive the van to help pay off a debt, but had not known how much cannabis was inside.[3]
Deemster Cook said the quantity meant Brayford must be close to those involved in organised crime, and that he had become involved in a bizarre set of circumstances.[3] The deemster said Brayford had been fortunate the drugs in the van were class B rather than class A.[3] He had joined the army in February 2022 and had been discharged after his arrest.[1]