Eight-year sentence extended for prison drug smuggle

Tuesday 27 April 2021

A man has been sentenced to a further eight months in Les Nicolles, after attempting to smuggle in drugs to the prison when being admitted.

Daniel Gauvain, 29, was sentenced to eight years in Les Nicolles for his involvement in the importation of a quarter million pounds in cannabis resin.

Gauvain appeared with two others during a Royal Court sentencing on 19 January earlier this year and was found guilty after a lengthy trial.

As he was being admitted to Les Nicolles, Gauvain was asked if he had anything internally concealed, to which he answered 'no'. However, officers thought he seemed nervous and agitated so took him to A&E to be x-rayed. 

Pictured: Gauvain was taken to the Princess Elizabeth Hospital to find out if he was in fact hiding anything internally.

The x-ray picked up several concealed bags and Gauvain then admitted there were three packages inside him.

Officers found 30 gabapentin tablets, 50 diazepam tablets and 0.76 grams of buprenorphine. 

Gauvain was represented by Advocate Phoebe Cobb. She said the drugs had been a prescription picked up the day before his Royal Court appearance.

Advocate Cobb said her client suffered from anxiety and depression and was under the impression that he’d be forced into Les Nicolles 'cold turkey'.  

Pictured: Judge Graeme McKerrell said the offence was akin to drug trafficking, as Gauvain was adding to the illegal stock of drugs in prison.

During sentencing, Judge McKerrell referenced another recent case of an attempt to smuggle drugs into Les Nicolles.

“This cannot be allowed to become a trend,” he said. 

Gauvain was sentenced to eight months for each charge, to run concurrently to each other, but added on consecutively to his eight year importation sentence.