Man who tried to board ferry with £5k criminal cash is jailed

A man who was caught with £5,495 in criminal cash tied up with an elastic band in his pocket at the Isle of Man ferry terminal has been jailed.

Callum Davies told police the money was a combination of savings and money he had won at the casino.

The 27-year-old from Cheshire was held on Monday after being reported to port security for acting suspiciously.

He was sentenced to two months in prison and banned from the island for five years.

Douglas Courthouse heard how Davies, from Beech Road in Runcorn, was seen by someone acting suspiciously with another man outside Bordellos night club on Douglas Promenade, before making his way to the Sea Terminal.

The cash was found by port security and he was arrested at about 15:30 BST.

When questioned he claimed he had won £2,000 on slot machines at the Palace Hotel and Casino on Sunday, adding: "I thought I didn't have to declare anything under £10,000."

However, the venue's manager confirmed the highest amount won was £600.

In any case only members were allowed to keep playing after winning more than £1,500, and Davies was not a member.

He later admitted attempting to remove criminal cash, and claimed he had been pressured to do so in order to pay off a drug debt.

His defence advocate said he had "made some poor decisions" and had problems with his mental health.

The court heard although a community order may have been considered, the fact he was not an island resident and was likely to be excluded from the island made that difficult.

Deemster Greame Cook said he came to the island for the sole purpose of taking criminal money back to the UK and had lied to police to "try and remove yourself from the difficult position" he was in.

In a separate hearing, a man from Port Erin was sentenced to 240 hours of community service after he admitted trying to take a large amount of criminal cash hidden in a zip-locked bag from the Isle of Man to Liverpool.

Kye Mason, 21, was stopped by port security on 14 August 2021 as he attempted to board the ferry at the Sea Terminal and was behaving suspiciously.

Officers found £3,300 alongside £970 worth of euros in his bag, and a later search of his then home in Prince's Avenue in Douglas uncovered a further £5,450 in a locked metal box.

Deemster Cook said, having read the Social Enquiry Report ordered by the court, he was satisfied that the case did not pass the custodial threshold.

"You clearly became involved in something that perhaps was beyond your control, but nevertheless you became involved in it," he said.

He added that it was becoming "more and more apparent that a lot of money is being removed from the island".

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