A man has been jailed for 26 weeks after being arrested at a McDonald's drive-thru in Newport, where police found seven boxes of nitrous oxide canisters, unopened balloons and a hammer in his car.
Imtiaz Ali, 46, of Ebenezer Terrace, Newport, was stopped by officers from Gwent Police's Community Action Team (CAT) at Newport Retail Park, Lliswerry, at around 9.50pm on Monday, November 2, after being spotted driving erratically.
Arrest at the drive-thru
Footage of the incident shows Ali appearing visibly frustrated as officers asked him to step out of the car. When officers told him he could leave his McDonald's takeaway meal inside the vehicle, Ali replied: "I want to eat it, bro."
An officer later placed the food on the roof of the car before beginning the search. As Ali attempted to retrieve his meal, he was told: "I'm searching you, you're not going to be chomping on chips when I'm searching you."
During a search of Ali, one officer remarked on the amount of cash he was carrying, telling him: "Lot of cash on you." A search of his car also revealed seven boxes of nitrous oxide canisters and a pack of unopened balloons, as well as a hammer.
Offences and sentencing
When he was arrested, Ali told officers to "relax". Asked whether he had been arrested before, he replied: "Of course I have." Police later searched his address, where they recovered cannabis and three additional mobile phones.
Ali appeared at Newport Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, November 4, where he pleaded guilty to three offences: possession with intent to supply nitrous oxide for wrongful inhalation, a Class C drug; possession of an offensive weapon in a public place; and possession of cannabis, a Class B controlled drug. He was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison, equivalent to six months.
PC Sam Hall, from Gwent Police's Community Action Team, said: "We spotted this defendant driving erratically and took the decision to stop his car while he was a customer parked in the drive-through area of McDonald's.
"We recovered a hammer close to the driver's seat and 42 large and unopened nitrous oxide cannisters, also known as NOS or laughing gas, from the boot of the car."
Nitrous oxide, also called NOS, is a colourless gas used in medicine, dentistry and the catering industry, and was made a class C drug in November 2023.
"The evidence of Ali's illegal dealing of nitrous oxide was overwhelming; he had little option but to plead guilty to the charges he faced in court."
Ali was out on licence at the time of these offences and was profiting from the sale and supply of illegal drugs that cause fear, suffering and pain to vulnerable people and their families.
If you have concerns about the sale and supply of illegal drugs in your community, you can contact Gwent Police on 101, report it via their website or direct message on Facebook or X pages. You can also call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, with information or visit their website.
