A Frenchman will serve a home detention sentence in Wellington, after admitting possession of ecstasy for supply and possession of cannabis plant in Queenstown in April.
At an earlier appearance, Gerard Richard Thibault’s counsel, Roger Eagles, said the 23-year-old’s visa had been extended, but he was struggling to support himself with intermittent, part-time work.
At 8pm on April 23 he was in a vehicle with one other person and was stopped by police at Frankton.
They noticed a strong smell of cannabis and invoked search powers.
During the search they located 7.3g of a brown crystal-like substance, identified as MDMA, 4.6g of cannabis in various ziplock bags, a notebook with a tick list titled ‘‘Molly’’, $2350 in cash, digital scales and a grinder.
Thibault told police he was heading to a party in Queenstown and had the drugs with him for that purpose.
In the Queenstown District Court earlier this week, for possessing cannabis plant, Judge Russell Walker convicted and discharged Thibault, while for possessing class B-controlled ecstasy for supply, he sentenced him to eight months’ home detention, with special conditions, deferred to yesterday.
Judge Walker also issued an order for the destruction of all drugs, drug-related items and cash seized.
