AN ENNISKILLEN teenager has been convicted of intent to supply after two ounces of cannabis were found in his room, worth £500, along with scales.
Stephen Boyd (18) of Ballaghmore Heights, appeared at Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a Class B drug, cannabis, and contested one charge of possession of a Class B with intent to supply.
The court heard that on September 1, 2019 police in Enniskillen carried out a number of house searches, including on the property where Boyd was living. While police said Boyd had not been the subject of their search, but while searching the property they located the cannabis in his bedroom.
Boyd accepted the cannabis, and a set of scales and a grinder that were also found, were his but denied intention to supply the drugs to anyone else.
Defence barrister Steffan Rafferty said Boyd had given police his phone and pincode to access it, and there was no evidence on it suggesting any kind of drug dealing. He said phone messages were usually one of the main pieces of evidence police relied on in an intent to supply case.
Mr Rafferty said the entire charge of intent to supply rested upon a comment made by Boyd in his police interview in which he said he had never sold cannabis but would sometimes share some with friends.
District Judge Greg McCourt said that a significant amount of cannabis had been found in Boyd’s room, two ounces worth £500, which he felt was “an awful lot of cannabis not to be supplying others.” He also noted the scales found, stating they also suggested intent to supply.
Referring to Boyd’s comment about sharing with friends, Judge McCourt said money did not have to exchange hands for it to legally be deemed supply, that even sharing it for free was deemed to be supply.
Convicting Boyd of the charge, Judge McCourt noted it was his first drugs convictions, “and hopefully the last” or else he could end up “going down a spiral to prison.”
Judge McCourt said he did not believe Boyd was “heavily involved in dealing” and fined him a total of £450 for both charges.
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