Heroin hidden in mouth

Nuno Filipe Ferreira Pinheiro, Montague Street, Portadown, admitted unlawful possession of a class A drug on July 27.

He was sentenced to 160 hours community service last Friday.

The case had been adjourned from a previous court so that a pre-sentence report could be obtained.

A public prosecutor said that around 7pm a police mobile patrol saw the defendant standing at Charles Street. He was pacing back and forward as if he was waiting for someone.

Police spoke to him and noticed that his speech was slurred and his eyes were droopy.

They asked him to open his mouth and two items were found in his right cheek and another item in his left cheek.

He told police he had purchased them for £80 and they contained heroin.

A barrister representing Pinheiro said that the defendant’s heroin addiction was the root of all his offending. He had been addicted for many years.

District Judge, Mr Mervyn Bates, said the pre-sentence report indicated the defendant had been clean from July and felt a constructive use of time and proper medication would be appropriate as he imposed the community service order.