Limavady man jailed for seven months for drugs possession

Charles Thomas Craig, with an address at Drumavalley, was sentenced at Limavady Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

The court heard as police conducted a search of Craig’s home on September 21, 2015, he threw a bag out the back patio door.

The bag was retrieved and forensic analysis revealed it contained 10.37gs of cocaine and just under 15gs of herbal cannabis.

Police found other items, including three grinders and five smoking bongs/pipes.

Craig was arrested.

During interview, he denied that he had knowledge the white powder was cocaine. He said he thought it was a legal high, which he’d bought for £40. He said he bought the herbal cannabis for £30 from a man in a car park in Antrim.

The court heard the cocaine had a street value of £500 and the cannabis had a street value of £300.

A defence solicitor told the court that on the date in question Craig had tried to get rid of the drugs.

He said Craig would say he has struggled with herbal cannabis, but between September and now, when Craig’s home had been searched by police on an almost regular basis, no drugs had been found.

The solicitor made reference to a family member who had appeared in court in connection with alleged drugs offences. He said Craig lived in a household where people had been before the court for that type of offending.

“He’s 51 and out of work. He’s no stranger to the courts,” said the solicitor. “He has a well documented problem with cannabis.”

The solicitor said, in his own way, Craig was trying to stop using cannabis, and no further offending had been detected since September 21.

District Judge Liam McNally said in 1994 Craig was convicted for supplying drugs. In 2000 he was convicted for drugs possession, and he was back on June 4, 2015, again for possession and given a suspended sentence and told if there was any further offending he would go into custody.

“Three months later you’re back and in possession of a reasonable amount of drugs, in my opinion,” said Judge McNally.

For both offences Craig was jailed for seven months.