A Paisley man has been fined after being found with £350 worth of cocaine in his partner’s loft.
Paul Moran, 45, was found to have almost 20g of cocaine, a Class A drug in his partner’s loft when cops searched her property on October 14, last year.
Moran of Dalskeith Crescent admitted to being in possession of the drugs at a property in Tannahill Terrace.
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Marleen Tees, 54, pleaded not guilty to being in possession of the Class A drug in her Tannahill Terrace property on the same date was accepted by the Crown and she was free to leave the court.
Procurator fiscal depute Suzie Barr told Paisley Sheriff Court: “Around 4.30pm, police attended at a property in Tannanhill Terrace with a search warrant and traced Moran within the house where he was detained.
“During the search, police discovered a knotted plastic bag with a hard white substance within the entrance to the loft space.
“Moran confirmed to officers that it was cocaine for personal use as he has an addiction.
“The drugs were later weighed returning a weight of 18.58g with an estimated value of £350.
“Moran made no reply to caution and charge.”
Defence solicitor James Arrol told the court former window-cleaner Moran bought the drugs in bulk as it was “better financially” for him.
Mr Arrol explained: “At the time of the incident, Mr Moran was taking about 1g of cocaine a day.
“He had already taken about 1g out of it when police discovered the bag.
“His drug misuse got out of hand during lockdown and boredom, but the search of the property has been a wake up call for Mr Moran as he is now free from drugs and on the straight and narrow looking to seek employment.”
Sentencing, Sheriff Lindsay Kooner said: “You plead guilty to a possession charge of cocaine, a Class A drug.
“The value is not insignificant and you paid a substantial amount of time for it during a time when you weren’t working.
“But I do note that you do not have any analogous previous convictions under the Misuse of Drugs Act, and so I can deal with this today by imposing a financial penalty.”
Sheriff Kooner fined Moran £450 reduced to £335 due to his plea at the first calling of the case.
A £20 court surcharge was added to the fine with Moran ordered to pay £355 at the rate of £20 per fortnight.
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