A man found with cannabis hidden throughout his home — including under a sofa cushion and in a pink carrier bag — appeared before court this week facing multiple drugs charges.
Sean Francis Morton, 42, of Craigmore View, Newry – previously with an address in Armagh – appeared in connection with five charges relating to the possession of Class A and Class B controlled drugs following a police search of his property on November 10, 2024.
Armagh Magistrates’ Court – sitting in Newry – heard that police had attended the defendant’s home after receiving a third-party report concerning a vulnerable female. Upon arrival, officers spoke with the woman and subsequently attended and searched Morton’s home
During the search, a quantity of drugs was discovered in various locations throughout the house.
In a rubbish bag, police located approximately 38 grammes of herbal cannabis. A further one gramme of cocaine was also recovered. When cautioned, Morton told officers: “The weed is mine.”
An MDMA exhibit found at the property was later forensically examined and identified as cocaine.
The court heard that officers continued to uncover further amounts of cannabis in multiple hiding places. Approximately five grammes were found in a chest of drawers in an upstairs bedroom. Morton admitted ownership and said he had paid £200 for it.
Another 20 grammes were located inside a pink carrier bag under a sofa in the same bedroom. Cannabis was also discovered stuffed into a sofa cushion and on the floor beside a bed.
Morton accepted ownership of the Class B substances, repeatedly stating: “The weed is all mine. I accept that it’s mine.”
However, he denied any knowledge of the small bag of cocaine found at the property.
District Judge Anne Marshall remarked that Morton had “quite the record for drugs”.
Morton’s defence barrister, Kevin O’Hare, stated that his client “made admissions to the police immediately”.
“The reason those admissions were confined to the cannabis, is because he simply forgot that the cocaine was in the house, and when police went over, he had forgotten all about it.”
Morton, a serving prisoner, was handed a two month sentence which was added on consecutively, meaning he will have to serve an additional four weeks behind bars.
