Drug charges

Press, 27 February 1980, Page 4

Drug charges

A man who had s quantity of drugs in his car when stopped by police near Ashburton on the night of December 21 was committed to the . Supreme Court for trial on four charges after a hearing in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Richard Edward Ferris, aged 29, a mechanic, pleaded not guilty and elected trial by jury on the charges of having in his possession for supply a class B controlled drug, methedone; having in his possession a class B drug, cannabis resin; having in his possession a needle and syringe for the purpose of committing ah offence against, the Misuse of Drugs Act; and permitting a car to be used for the purpose 1 of committing an offence against this act. Depositions of evidence of seven prosecution witnesses were heard, after ' which Messrs J. Green and J., D. Diggs, justices of the peace, held there : was sufficient’ evidence to put the defendant on trial. . , ' .

They > remanded hini- I ', in custody; until his triaLinithe 'Supreme .Court on a date 'to be set. ■ ' ’ ’ ■-’i. ill.) Mr R.- )J,- McMurtrie, ; ;for the defendant, called no .evidence. and . reserved ')■ his defence. ■> !

Detective Sergeant B.; Roswell prosecuted. j. In a statement produced in evidence by Detective B. W. Cox the defendant allegedly said he was travelling from Dunedin t<? Christchurch to spend Christmas with friends. Before leaving home he had put some crushed tablets ’of methedone, 290 whole tablets, some cannabis and a, syringe in his car. ' The crushed tablets were for a drug addict in Christchurch, from a person in Dunedin. The whole tablets : came from a chemist; he was a registered methedone patient at Princess Margaret Hospital. ... C

A doctor signed the authorities and he- gave these to a pharmacy and received the tablets when required, he said. The tablets in the car were ones he had collected over the last year and not used.

He had bought the two tablets of cannabis found in the car for his own use.