A man from Union Mills has been put on probation for a year after he admitted drug dealing to friends.

Simon Fletcher said that he resorted to selling cannabis to pay off a £2,000 drug debt and to support his family.

At Douglas Courthouse on Thursday, November 28, magistrates also ordered the 27-year-old to pay £125 prosecution costs.

We previously reported that an off-duty police officer was driving on New Castletown Road in Douglas, on February 19, when he noticed a smell of cannabis coming from a Volkswagen Polo in front of him.

He contacted other officers, who were on duty, and they stopped the car in Ballasalla.

Fletcher was a passenger and when asked if he had any drugs, said: ‘About an ounce of cannabis.'

Police found 62.8 grams of the drug, which they valued at £1,256, along with 8.7 grams of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, which was said to be worth £348.

A search of an address in Port Erin found a further 11.6 grams of cannabis, valued at £232, as well as snap bags and scales.

During a police interview, Fletcher admitted the offences, saying he had been dealing drugs since around October 2023, but only to a small circle of friends.

He said he was attempting to pay off a drug debt of around £2,000, and to provide for his family.

He told police that he had bought the drugs in a lane in Peel, from someone he found on Snapchat, but claimed that he didn’t know them.

Fletcher said that the ecstasy was for personal use, but that he didn’t like the effects, so he was going to throw it away.

Messages were found on the defendant's phone which supported evidence of drug dealing.

In court, Fletcher pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing cannabis with intent to supply and one count of MDMA possession.

His defence advocate, Victoria Kinrade, asked magistrates to follow the recommendation of a probation report, which suggested a period of probation as the most appropriate sentence.

Ms Kinrade said that the defendant recognised the impact his dealing had on others and was remorseful.

The advocate handed in a letter of apology to the court from Fletcher, who lives at Snugborough Avenue, as well as a reference letter.

‘He is a young man who found his way to drug dealing by way of being in a financially destitute position,’ said Ms Kinrade.

She added that her client had self-referred to Motiv8 and would welcome working with probation services.

Chair of the magistrates David Craine told Fletcher: ‘We hope you continue to try to stay away from illicit drugs.’

The defendant will pay the prosecution costs at a rate of £30 per week.