A Paisley man who was found to have white powder in his bedroom has admitted to being in possession of cocaine.
Cops raided Douglas Mallon’s bedroom on May 27 last year in Williamsburgh Terrace where he lived with his elderly grandmother.
They found a polythene bag weighing 0.22g and another bag weighing 4.4g which tested positive for the Class-A drug. A third 20g bag returned a negative result for the controlled substance.
The 27-year-old admitted possessing cocaine during a hearing at Paisley Sheriff Court.
Procurator fiscal depute David Gallagher said: “Around 2.45pm on May 27, police gained entry to a property with a search warrant. The accused’s grandmother was traced within and detained. She confirmed her grandson, the accused, lived there.
“A search was carried out in the bedroom of the accused which recovered items. Officers recovered scales with a white residue which tested positive for cocaine.
“A polythene bag of white powder containing 0.22g tested positive for cocaine. A 4.4g bag of cocaine was also recovered which tested positive for cocaine. A separate bag of white powder weighing 20g was recovered and tested negative for cocaine.
“The value of the 4.4g bag is around £100. The accused made no reply to caution and charge when he was traced on June 1.”
Mr Gallagher explained how the stock unit of Police Scotland initially intended to charge Mallon with a supply charge due to the 20g bag of white powder that they recovered in his bedroom.
However, due to this testing negative for the Class-A drug, Mallon’s guilty plea of possession was accepted and the supply aspect was withdrawn.
Defence agent Michael McKeown said: “The £100 worth of cocaine was simply for personal use. He doesn’t have any problems with drugs and he has no drug matters in his record.
“His elderly grandmother ended up being part of this and he’s embarrassed about that. He is her carer and is in receipt of benefits for that as a result. This matter has caused him some anxiety and he has offered a plea at the earliest opportunity.”
Court papers show that Mallon’s grandmother, Joan Reid, also appeared on two charges. The charges alleged the 83-year-old to have been in possession of cocaine and cannabis, a Class-B drug at her Paisley home.
Her not guilty pleas were accepted by the Crown with Sheriff Clair McLachlan saying: “We will draw a line under this today with a financial penalty.”
Mallon was fined £122 and ordered to pay this at the rate of £10 per week.
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