North Ayrshire: Lewis Brown caught with cocaine worth £9,000

Lewis Brown, from Saltcoats, was found with quantities of cocaine at two addresses in Irvine.

The 31-year-old will find out his fate later this year after pleading guilty to being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug between September 2022 and September last year.

Fiscal depute Alexander Fraser told Kilmarnock Sheriff Court the dates were the result of two different police searches, the first at an address in Rannoch Place in Irvine’s Castlepark, where Brown was in a relationship with the householder.

Police with a search warrant attended the property shortly after 6pm on September 23, 2022, and entered through an unlocked rear door, finding Brown inside.

Having told him why they were there, officers went on to search the property and soon located a blue ‘lock box’ in a bedroom.

Inside the box was a bag containing white blocks weighing 34.48 grams, a self seal bag containing white powder with a weight of 122.1 grams, a smaller bag of white powder weighing 3.31 grams, and a set of operational scales.

Lewis Brown. (Image: Sourced)

The contents of each bag were analysed and confirmed to be cocaine, while traces of the same drug were found on the scales.

Officers also found £450 inside a DKNY-branded case in a bedroom unit, two mobile phones in a TV unit, and a number of small self-seal bags.

Mr Fraser added: “As the search was ongoing the accused asked officers 'what’s happening with the drugs?'.

“He then said ‘I will take responsibility, it’s nothing to do with my Mrs’.”

After the search Brown was arrested, cautioned and charged, while the two phone were analysed; one was found to have details linking Brown to drug supply.

Mr Fraser said: "Some 15 still image files were identified as being relevant to the enquiry.

"These included images of compressed white powder and bundles of cash.

Kilmarnock Sheriff Court. (Image: Staff)

"Further analysis showed a number of WhatsApp messages which referred to drug transactions taking place between the accused and buyers. In addition similar SMS text messages were found on the device."

Mr Fraser said the drug had an estimated value of £4,400, though if sold in the lowest common street deal it could fetch around £6,360.

The second search took place almost exactly a year later, on September 22, 2023, at an address in Parterre in Irvine where Brown was living at the time.

This time officers found traces of what appeared to be cocaine on a set of scales, as well as a large bag containing 6.79 grams of white powder in a tub on a bedside table.

A zip lock bag was also found, containing 59.86 grams of white powder, along with two small bags again containing white powder, weighting 1.57 grams and 1.77 grams.

All of the white powder was later analysed and confirmed to be cocaine.

The drug found during the second search had a total value of £1,300, though if subdivided for street sale it could have fetched up to £2,800 – taking the total potential value of the drug to £9,160.

The powder was analysed and found to contain cocaine. (Image: Pixabay)

Gillian Swanney, defending, suggested that background reports would be required as her client had never before served time in jail.

She told Sheriff Sheena Fraser: "He is aware the court will take a very dim view on this and that custody will be uppermost in your Ladyship’s mind."

Ms Swanney said that following his most recent arrest Brown had been released on bail with a special condition requiring him to check in at Saltcoats police station every week, a condition he had compiled with “with no problem”.

Sheriff Fraser told Brown: “Because you have not been in custody before, I am required to order reports, and I will do so.

“A custodial sentence is uppermost in my mind given the nature of these offences, though saying that, I will consider the reports.”

Sentence was deferred until next month and Brown was released on bail with the same special condition still in place.