A man caught with cannabis during a routine car stop has been ordered to pay a £200 fine.
Twenty-six-year-old Ivan Spence, from Cookstown, pleaded guilty at Armagh Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to possession of class B.
The court heard police stopped a car on the Dungannon Road, Portadown, on March 14, with the defendant in the front passenger seat.
Officers noted a strong smell of cannabis and searched the vehicle.
Around three grams of cannabis resin was recovered from a tobacco pouch in Spence’s pocket.
The defendant was cautioned and in interview gave full admissions to police.
Defence counsel stated Spence accepted “full culpability” and had purchased the drug for around £20 earlier that day.
Court heard that the defendant had one similar previous charge which dated back to 2006.
District Judge Paul Copeland ordered Spence to pay a fine of £200, along with the offender’s levy of £15, within 10 weeks.
