Driver stopped in Craven Arms had cannabis in footwell of car
A man was found with six bags of cannabis and text messages about drug dealing when he was stopped by police in Craven Arms.
Simon Andrew Stretton was stopped by police after they noticed the car he was driving had a broken headlight.
After first being seen in Shrewsbury Road he was stopped by officers at the Little Britain Cafe at 9.30pm on December 4 last year.
Adam Warner, prosecuting the case at Telford Magistrates Court yesterday, said Stretton was asked to leave the car and police noticed a smell of cannabis and several empty beer cans on the floor.
Stretton also had a woman travelling as a passenger in the car.
While he was undergoing a roadside breath test, the passenger produced a box with a red lid from the footwell which contained six sealed plastic bags of cannabis, a number of empty bags and scales.
These were seized by police along with two mobile phones.
In an interview with police Stretton admitted the drug belonged to him and gave officers the password to an iPhone which had been seized.
Mr Warner said: "The phone contained messages which concerned the supply of drugs such as 'can you sort me out a 10 bag'."
Stretton, 27, of Second Avenue, Walsall, had previously been sentenced for the offence of driving with a proportion of a controlled drug above the legal limit.
Appearing at the court, he admitted one charge of possessing a class B drug with intent to supply.
Stephen Scully, for Stretton, said: "He has been a cannabis smoker for 11 years and the level of addiction was such that he started low-level dealing to fund his habit. There was no profit as such."
Mr Scully said the arrest had been a "kick up the backside" for Stretton who had stopped smoking cannabis and was also trying to quit smoking tobacco.
He said he currently has agency work doing night shifts sorting parcels and is hoping to be taken on full time. He had travelled directly from a night shift to appear at the court.
Magistrates gave him a suspended sentence of six months held for 12 months.
He was also ordered to pay costs of £50 and a victim surcharge of £115.
The court also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs and paraphernalia seized at the scene.
