A man who told his solicitor he wanted to “move away from criminality” has been handed a £100 fine after cannabis was found in his home.
Court heard that the 25-year-old, who was originally from Portugal, had already served the equivalent of a two-month sentence.
Nilton Oliveira, 25, of Garvaghy Park, Portadown pleaded guilty to possession of a Class B drug at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court on Friday, where he appeared via videolink from Maghaberry.
Court heard that on September 19, 2017, the defendant’s was searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
During this police located a quantity of suspected Class B drugs, namely cannabis resin.
Both Oliveira and a co-defendant, who also lived at that address, were arrested.
When interviewed, Oliveira denied that the drugs were his but stated that he may have owned a small amount of cannabis which was in the living room of the property, although he could not be certain.
Prosecution informed court that the amount of cannabis in question was around 1.85g.
Defence counsel stated: “Mr Oliveira has effectively served a two-month sentence for this offence having been arrested on foot of a warrant. This was a small amount although he does have a relevant record.”
He commented: “My client is originally from Portugal but has told me that he is now motivated to move away from criminality.”
Oliveira was ordered to pay a fine of £100, along with the offender’s levy of £15, within 16 weeks.
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