A man was caught with £3,000 worth of coke in his family home after becoming involved in dealing to feed his own habit.
John Gallacher appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court last week after pleading guilty to the offence which his lawyer said had caused “embarrassment and distress” to his family.
Police executed a search warrant for the property in the town’s Caledonia Terrace on January 29 last year and found the 25-year-old inside.
The fiscal depute said: “Over the course of the search, officers recovered 74 grammes of white powder which was later tested and found to be positive for cocaine with an approximate value of £3,000.”
His defence lawyer Judith Reid said her client “almost immediately indicated to me that he would plead guilty”.
And, although the case has taken almost 15 months to come to court, it has given him the chance to clean up his act.
She explained: “What the time has done is given Mr Gallacher the opportunity to show that this was effectively a downward line he was taking which he has managed to completely reverse since and has managed to do that.
“He tells me that, as soon as he was arrested, there was an immediate wake-up call in terms of his own drug use. You will see that he had fallen into having to sell the drug to associates and friends and people who move in these circles in order to fund his own habit.
“He has never shied away from anything. He has been clean since and has done what he can with his mental health. His partner has children and he commonly stays with her and looks after the children. He is a positive force in their lives.”
The solicitor went on to explain that video footage of the search showed Gallacher’s mother within the property at the time.
Ms Reid said: “This caused embarrassment and distress and he has had to make significant amends to his family since this happened.
“They are remaining supportive of him.
“He remains living with his mother on the basis that he has engaged in abstaining from drug use and distancing himself from the peers he was with when this was committed.”
She also explained that he hasn’t been in trouble at all since and that this was the only drug-related offence he had on his record.
Sheriff John Hamilton said: “It’s ironic but you of all people will have known the consequence of cocaine use and the effect it has on people.
“You made the choice to be involved in the supply chain and caused more misery for other people.
“You seem to have sorted things out.”
Gallacher was placed on a community payback order for 12 months during which time he will be under supervision and must carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
He has also been placed on a restriction of liberty order meaning he must remain in his home between 7pm and 7am every day for the next six months.
