A student who arrived in Aberdeen by bus and was caught in possession of £8,500 worth of MDMA has been warned a prison sentence cannot be ruled out.
Jon Ewen, 21, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted being in possession of the stimulant drug, which is similar to ecstasy.
Ewen was stopped by police after they received a tip-off that he had boarded a Megabus from Edinburgh to Aberdeen in possession of the drugs.
As he disembarked from the bus at Aberdeen bus station, a police sniffer dog called Hamish alerted officers that he had scented controlled drugs.
When searched, Ewen was found to have 145g of MDMA, worth an estimated £8,500.
Fiscal depute David Rogers told the court that on the afternoon of May 9 last year, Police Scotland received intelligence that people travelling via Megabus to Aberdeen were in possession of controlled substances.
Officers, along with Hamish, were carrying out routine checks of people travelling to and from the city when the bus arrived at around 7pm.
As Ewen disembarked, Hamish gave an indication that he may be carrying drugs.
Ewen was cautioned and detained for the purposes of a drugs search.
Officers found 11 bags of brown substance, which was found to be MDMA.
He was asked what the brown substance was and Ewen replied it was “Mandy”.
As he was conveyed to Kittybrewster Police Station, Ewen made spontaneous remarks that he had decided to fund his “excessive diet and lifestyle”.
It was also noted that the engineering student appeared remorseful and was concerned it would impact his further education.
In the dock, Ewen pleaded guilty to one charge of being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug.
Defence solicitor David Sutherland told the court that his client was doing a four-year degree course in Edinburgh at the time of his arrest.
“This appears to be a relatively short chapter of offending in Mr Ewen’s life,” the solicitor said.
“He accepts that his misuse of drugs was clearly one of the main driving forces in his lifestyle at that time.
“That chapter of his life is now closed, and he seems to have settled down and has a much more positive outlook on life.
“He will be a useful member of society once he graduates.”
Previous conviction
But Sheriff Philip Mann pointed out that Ewen is currently subject to a community order for assaulting and resisting, hindering or obstructing a police officer from Paisley Sheriff Court.
It is understood that Ewen was made subject to 180 hours of unpaid work as a result of that conviction.
“Short of a custodial sentence, I don’t feel the options open to me are adequate,” the sheriff stated.
He deferred sentence on Ewen, of Forest Avenue, Aberdeen, for four months for him to be of good behaviour and to see how he progresses with his community service.
“The court is still considering all sentencing options,” Sheriff Mann told Ewen, adding: “It’s not so long ago that the courts would sentence people like you to jail.
“A viable alternative to a custodial sentence could be fashioned, but not right now.”
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