A drug dealer was discovered slumped in the driver's seat of his van after consuming cocaine. Airdrie Sheriff Court heard that Carlos Akelis, 23, could not keep his eyes open when police detained him for a search.
Incident Details
Akelis, of Woodhall Place, Coatbridge, avoided a prison sentence after admitting being concerned in the supply of cocaine. He also pleaded guilty to being in charge of a vehicle with more than three times the permitted amount of the Class A drug in his system.
Prosecutor Ruth Rabey stated that Akelis was arrested in Railway Road, Airdrie, on July 5 last year. Police officers were in the area around 6am when they noticed a van parked in an unusual position. The accused was slumped in the driver's side, with dilated pupils and a white residue on his nostrils.
Search and Evidence
During the search, officers found items including scales and snap bags, along with money in the form of bundles of notes. They also seized Akelis's phone, which displayed multiple messages regarding the supply of drugs. Akelis was slurring his words, unsteady on his feet, and fell asleep in front of the police officers.
Defence Arguments
Defence lawyer Urfan Dar argued that Akelis had been supplying cocaine to friends and was not a commercial dealer. He stated that Akelis's drug consumption had gotten out of hand. One of his friends lives near where the van was parked, and Akelis had asked his partner to pick him up, but she was unavailable.
Akelis started using cocaine after a family bereavement and to ease the pain of a serious knee injury that prevented him from playing football. He works for his father, a monumental sculptor, and the £340 found in his car was his wages.
Sentence
Sheriff Paul Haran described the circumstances of the offences as very concerning. The court always takes a very serious view of the supply of a Class A drug like cocaine. Akelis was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid community work, which the sheriff warned was very much a direct alternative to imprisonment. He was also fined £520 and banned from driving for a year.
