Inverness man sold cannabis to his friends

AN Inverness man who was found by police in possession of almost £3000 worth of herbal cannabis has avoided a sentence of imprisonment after appearing at Inverness Sheriff Court.

Allan Gallagher (32) of Springfield Gardens, Inverness, admitted charges against him of being concerned in the supply of up to £2975 worth of the illegal drug on March 1, 2018 at the city’s Keppoch Road as well as at an address at Wallace Place in Smithton.

Appearing in court this week, Gallagher also pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to appear for sentence at a previous court hearing.

The court was told that, after his non-appearance, he had voluntarily surrendered himself to the police on December 3.

In total 180 grams of herbal cannabis, a class B drug, was recovered from a van belonging to Gallagher as well as at the address in Wallace Place, Smithton the court was told.

Defence solicitor David Patterson told Inverness Sheriff Court that Gallagher had suffered mental health issues.

He said that he had tried to bury his head in the sand with regards to his offending behaviour and the consequences of that.

“He had a heavy personal cannabis habit and sold some of the drug to friends to fund it,” Mr Patterson told the court.

Gallagher was ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work as a direct alternative to a prison sentence.

He was also placed under social work supervision for a period of one year.