A Cardiff dad found with just 2g of cannabis was hauled before the courts and fined.
Keaton Collard was caught with the Class B drug after a friend asked him to check a door was locked — on a car which turned out to be under police surveillance.
The 22-year-old, of Ordell Street in Splott, appeared at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Thursday and admitted possession of cannabis.
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Prosecutor Jermel Anderson said police found Collard with "a small package with a very small amount" of the substance on October 16 in Cardiff.
Mr Anderson added: "There was a prior conviction several years ago for drug possession which is why this is not a caution."
Garth James, mitigating, told the court: "The defendant accepts occasional cannabis use. He had been asked to attend a vehicle to make sure it was locked. Unbeknown to him it was the subject of police surveillance for a matter totally unrelated to him.
"He apologises to the court and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. This was a small quantity for personal use and there is nothing to suggest a more serious nature."
Collard, who is on Universal Credit, has two children. Presiding Justice Jason Bartlett imposed an £80 fine on top of £85 in prosecution costs and a £34 victim services surcharge. The cannabis will be destroyed.
There were 26,095 prosecutions for drug possession last year in the UK. Of those, 14,894 (57 per cent) were for cannabis, according to Ministry of Justice figures.
An 'eighth' of cannabis (3.5g) costs around £20 in major UK cities according to a 2018 report by Shortlist. This suggests a street value of around £11.40 for the drugs found on Collard.
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