Man fined £200 for possessing drug

A Maghera man who was said by his lawyer to have handed over a small amount of cannabis to police after he was stopped at a checkpoint, was fined £200 at Magherafelt Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Kieran McCrystal (32), of St Patrick’s Terrace, Lisnamuck, was also ordered to pay a £15 offender levy on a charge of possessing the drug on December 14 last.

Counsel prosecuting said police stopped a vehicle and detected a smell of cannabis. A search uncovered approximately one gram of cannabis. A destruction order was made for the drug.