A teenager caught smuggling cannabis resin valued at more than $1.8 million weeks before his 18th birthday was sentenced to serve six years behind bars yesterday.

Ty Lawes, 21, earlier pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to importing almost 17 kilograms of cannabis resin on July 20, 2023.

Puisne Judge Alan Richards said that the quantity of the drugs seized, the defendant’s age at the time of the incident and the 19-month delay in bringing the matter before the courts were all “striking features” differentiating the case from others.

He told the court: “The delay was not great but I think even a short delay is more significant in the case of such a young man.

“The reality is the 21-year-old that appears today would inevitably be a rather different person than the 17-year-old that committed this offence.”

The court earlier heard that Lawes had arrived in Bermuda on a flight from Britain and, during a secondary search at LF Wade International Airport, officers found a tracksuit in his bag that had not been declared.

While Lawes indicated to the officer that the value was less than £200, the officers searched the tracksuit and discovered a heat-sealed package that they found suspicious.

An X-ray of the suitcase revealed seven more heat-sealed packages.

The packages were later found to contain 16,855 grams of cannabis resin, which the court heard could be sold for $1.8 million if sold by the ounce or $3.3 million if sold by the gram.

Khadija Beddeau, for the Crown, said Lawes should face anywhere between eight and 12 years in jail, stating that drugs were a “serious problem” on the island.

Ms Beddeau said Lawes was used as a “drug mule” since the amount of contraband brought over was far more than one would have for personal use.

However, Mark Pettingill, for the defence, reminded the court that his client was 17 years old at the time of the offence and should not have even appeared in the higher court.

He said that Lawes was not the “mastermind” of the offence and, had he been tried as a child, a lengthy prison sentence would be enacted only if there were no other options.

Delivering his verdict, Mr Justice Richards said he did not agree with either approach.

He said that had the offence taken place when Lawes was 18, he would have been facing 15 to 18 years behind bars had he taken the case to trial.

However, he noted UK precedents that found when a milestone age had been passed, the courts should use the starting point that would have been considered had the defendant been charged on the day of the offence.

Mr Justice Richards said that had the matter come before the Family Court, the maximum sentence would be ten years behind bars and, given the large quantity of drugs, a starting point of nine years would have been appropriate.

He said Lawes was entitled to some discount for the 19-month delay in bringing the matter to the court and his relatively late guilty plea.

In all the circumstances, Mr Justice Richards sentenced Lawes to six years behind bars, with time already served taken into consideration.

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