Lisburn man found in possession of cocaine is warned by judge to change his life
A Lisburn man has been told by a judge to ‘change your life’ after he appeared in court charged with possession of drugs.
Karim Taguercifi, 26, whose address was given as Ballymacoss Hill in Lisburn, appeared before Lisburn Magistrates Court charged with possession of a Class A drug, namely cocaine.
The court heard that on April 19, 2025 police received a report of an unknown male knocking at a back door of a property in Lisburn.
The defendant was arrested and made no comment during interview.
He was found to have 21.58g of cocaine in his possession at the time.
A defence lawyer told the court the defendant was in breach of a suspended sentence for possession of a Class B drug, which remains active until June next year.
He continued: “He admits his drug use is getting out of hand and has become an addiction.
"He is motivated to engage in drug and alcohol counselling.
"He has been using drugs as a means of coping with other things in his life. He recognises he needs professional support.”
Speaking on his own behalf, the defendant told the court: “I was going through a break up with my girlfriend at the time and I couldn’t control my emotions.”
During sentencing, District Judge Rosie Watters told the defendant: “I should send you to prison today. Does the idea of going to prison not scare you?”
Ms Watters sentenced the defendant to two years on probation.
She warned the defendant: “Regard yourself as lucky and you can change your life.”