A mail order cannabis dealer was caught after post office staff alerted police to the contents of parcels he was sending and receiving.
In December 2023, a parcel addressed to Kai Thompson's address in St Ives first raised staff's suspicions. Devon and Cornwall Police were called, and the package was found to contain jars and labels for cannabis.
Officers searched his property at the time and found more than 430g of cannabis, other drug paraphernalia, and evidence of drug dealing from conversations seized from his phone. More than £44,800 was recovered in vacuum sealed bags stored inside plastic boxes in a black plastic bag.
Thompson, 23, was arrested on suspicion of drug dealing and money laundering and was remanded under police investigation.
In April this year, staff at his local post office again alerted police after smelling cannabis from Thompson's parcel. The package contained about £1,880 in cash. Some of the parcels he sent out and received also contained cannabis.
Thompson was arrested again and his property searched again. Just under 290g of cannabis was recovered, along with about £11,200 in a cash box and a small amount of ketamine.
Thompson, now of Forge Drive, Lelant, was charged with one count of conspiracy to conceal, disguise, convert, transfer or remove criminal property, one count of possession of ketamine, one count of being concerned in the supply of a Class B controlled drug (cannabis), and one count of acquiring, using or possessing criminal property. He pleaded guilty to all counts when he appeared before the magistrates' court earlier this year.
At a sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court today (Thursday, September 10), the court heard that Thompson would send parcels through his local post office twice a week.
In mitigation, Thompson's barrister said he had accepted his criminal responsibility. He said Thompson is remorseful, works at a hotel in St Ives, and hopes to train as an electrician, buy a property with his partner, and start a family. He also hopes to reconnect with his 18-month-old daughter from a previous relationship. The barrister said Thompson had used cannabis to medicate for scoliosis but would now seek medical help for the condition.
Recorder Serena Gates, KC, said she had read a pre-sentence report that "speaks positively of his attitude to wanting to change". She noted that Thompson's father had been a heroin addict and his mother had also been a drug addict. She sentenced him to 14 months in prison, suspended for two years, along with 20 days of rehabilitation, 150 hours of unpaid work, and £350 in court costs. Recorder Gates also ordered the forfeiture of all cash seized from Thompson.
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St Ives Post Office Staff Help Catch Cannabis Dealer