A 20-year-old suspected of dealing drugs hid cocaine up his bottom when police paid him a visit.
Jack Monaghan was found with a quantity of Class A drug hidden inside of him when he was taken to Fraserburgh Police Station.
Monaghan was originally lifted by police when officers visited a Fraserburgh home as part of a missing person investigation in October.
He was found with £220 cash on him and, after being taken to Fraserburgh Police Station, a further search unearthed the concealed cocaine.
And he was also charged with hindering officers and after he “snapped off” the cling film that was protruding from his bottom, making it harder for officers to retrieve.
Fiscal depute Ruaridh McAllister told Peterhead Sheriff Court that the drugs weighed 15g and had a value of between £700 and £1,500.
Threatened with jail time
Monaghan admitted being concerned in the supply of drugs and obstructing police officers.
Sheriff Peter Grant-Hutchison said Monaghan was making it “very difficult to keep him out of jail” given the involvement with Class A drugs.
His defence agent Sam Milligan argued the drugs actually weighed in at 11.2g, which is not a recognised street deal.
He said his client has remained out of trouble since October 2020 and argued: “The steps he has taken in the intervening period is something far more akin to the pro-social lifestyle that the court would encourage. A supervisory order would allow him to continue along that path.”
Warned to steer clear of drugs
The sheriff agreed to go down this route, sentencing Monaghan, of Port Charlotte on Islay, to 100 hours of unpaid work as a direct alternative to custody.
However, he warned: “It’s sometimes said that it’s not the court that sentences people to periods of imprisonment, rather people sentence themselves. If you supply Class A drugs it can sometimes become inevitable that you are going to jail.
“With the record that you are acquiring if you commit any other offences it is highly likely there will be a period of imprisonment that follows.”
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