A 36-YEAR-OLD man who had attempted to conceal a quantity of cocaine in his buttocks while shopping at Erneside has been sentenced to seven months in prison.
Graeme Strong, Camgart Road, Fivemiletown, appeared at Fermanagh Magistrates Court on Monday charged with possession of Class A controlled drugs, possession of Class C controlled drug, possessing a Class B controlled drug, failure to answer bail as soon as reasonably possible and possession of a Class C drug with intent to supply.
On a separate matter he also faced charges of attempted possession of a Class C controlled drug, attempted possession of a Class C drug with intent to supply, possessing a Class B controlled drug, cultivating cannabis and possessing a Class B controlled drug with intent to supply.
The court heard that on April 7 last year Royal Mail had attempted to deliver a parcel to an address only to be refused by the intended recipient, Strong’s brother, who said he had not been expecting any parcels.
Police seized the parcel which contained five small containers of valium tablets worth £5,000.
The following day officers attended the defendant’s home where he was cautioned for the offence of attempted possession of a Class C drug with attempt to supply.
A search of the home was conducted where officers seized a phone, an electronic tablet, small plants of suspected cannabis, seedlings, growing materials for seeds, black plastic bags, dealer bags, a piece of suspected cannabis and a piece of cardboard with phone numbers on the back of it.
Strong was taken to Enniskillen custody suite where, during interview, he advised that he had purchased valium for himself and his brother. 
He said he would have given the drugs to others if requested.
He told officers the cannabis was for his brother and that the dealer bags were to separate the tablets.
He said he was growing cannabis plants as an experiment for his brother.
Strong added that he had obtained the cannabis resin from a friend and had the intention to giving this to his brother.
Three months later on July 5, police were called to the DV8 store at Erneside where staff handed over a clear plastic bag which contained a large quantity of blue pills and a small bag of powder.
The items had been dropped by the defendant who had been shopping there.
Following a description provided by staff, the defendant was identified nearby.
He admitted ownership of the items.
Again a search was conducted and a number of items were seized.
Under interview Strong said the cocaine was part payment for a debt. He said it had dropped out when he was trying on jeans in DV8.
A pre-sentence report was provided to the court on Monday along with a psychiatric report and a letter of reference from a retired police officer.
The court heard that he was assessed as having a high risk of reoffending.
His defence solicitor told the court that “something has to change in this man’s life”.
He told the court that the Probation Service had outlined four terms for engagement with Strong, namely: cease contact with drug related associates; find employment; rebuild fractured relationships with family members, including his daughter; and engage with social services in support in the community.
“He is engaging with the addiction treatment unit in Enniskillen and Omagh on a fortnightly basis at the moment,” the solicitor submitted.
He outlined to the court that Strong was also moving away from his address to live in Fivemiletown, away from one of his brothers who is also drug dependent.
“He accepts that his brother is no longer his responsibility,” said the solicitor, “He has enough issues to sort out himself.”
Outlining that while a case like this would normally be dealt with by a Crown Court, but that the Public Prosecution Service had opted for it to be dealt with in a Magistrates Court, the solicitor asked for the “unusual and exceptional approach to give him one last chance”.
“He needs the mercy of the court,” said the solicitor, outlining that a “confluence of tragic factors” had led to the genesis of Strong’s drug-related offending since 2014.
Referring to the reports, District Judge Benita Boyd conceded that there was “certainly a lot of tragedy”.
“But it shouldn’t amass a record like this,” she added.
“I can’t ignore a record like this,” she told Strong, “I cannot ignore the risk posed to other members of the public.
“You are not coming here as a stranger to the court, you have a very relevant record.”
Strong was sentenced to seven months imprisonment, fined £100 and ordered to pay the £15 offenders levy.