A man who moved to Wales to try and "get away from it all" has been jailed after he was caught with a "considerable" amount of cocaine and cannabis in his car and home.
Police found up to £3,000 worth of the Class A and B drugs belonging to Shane Harte after he was stopped by an officer because of the manner of his driving at 3.30am on November 14, 2021.
Harte, aged 43, admitted that he owned the drugs and that they were for his own personal use.
Prosecutor Helen Tench said: "He explained that he smokes cannabis daily and uses cocaine for parties. He was planning to go to a party in the next couple of days. He says he doesn’t sell and profit from it."
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Police seized 14.9 grams of off-white cocaine with 47 per cent purity, and 124.57 grams of herbal cannabis in Berriew which had a combined street value of between £2,150 and £2,970, Welshpool Magistrates' Court was told on Tuesday, March 26.
Kulbir Kumar, acting on behalf of Harte, said his client has a very pronounced stutter "which is a part of the problem why he uses cannabis to mask and deal with those difficulties".
He added: "His marriage of 23 years came to an end. He was hugely dependant on his ex-wife to deal with bills and finances; he had no idea how to do that. He lost his employment. He then moved to Wales to try and get away from it all.
"These offences date back to 2021 and there has been some passing of time since the offending arose.
"You are aware that he’s remanded in custody and has other serious matters before the crown court. He’ll be sentenced in January 2025.
"He’s not going anywhere. I ask that you take on board that these offences were some time ago.
"He bought the items in bulk to save money. He doesn’t hide that he has issues with drugs.
"He has suffered ridicule because of his speech impediment and tried to take his own life on at least two occasions. He has tried to help himself with matters with Kaleidoscope. At this stage support is limited."
Magistrates sentenced Harte to 24 weeks in prison - 16 weeks for cocaine and eight weeks for cannabis - after pleading guilty to possessing the drugs.
Harte was also ordered to pay a £154 victim surcharge and £85 court costs when he is released from prison.
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