A DAD-OF-FOUR was caught with £1,650 worth of cannabis in the car, a court heard.

Glen Mendes, 27, initially told police he’d paid a Swindon dealer £600 for the drugs and intended to smoke it all himself.

The Londoner was due to stand trial at Swindon Crown Court earlier this year on a single charge of possession with intent to supply a class B drugs. 

He changed his plea on the morning of his trial in May. And on Wednesday, Judge Jason Taylor QC imposed a 14-month jail term suspended for two years. 

Noting the fact Mendes was arrested more than two-and-a-half years ago, Judge Taylor said: “During the delay you have stayed out of trouble. Not only that, but you’ve got a job. You are also seeking to reduce your cannabis use.” 

The judge added: “I am not going to jeopardise the progress you have made.” He said it was in public’s best interest for Mendes to continue to contribute to society.
Mendes must do 200 hours of unpaid work and pay the £2,800 prosecution costs. 

Prosecutor Alec Small told the court Mendes was in a Vauxhall Astra stopped by police on Beechcroft Road, Pinehurst, in September 2018.

The officer could smell cannabis coming from the car. The vehicle was searched and officers found 164g of cannabis worth around £1,650 on the street, four mobile phones, £55 in cash and a large number of self-seal plastic bags typically used to deal cannabis. 

Mendes answered no comment to questions put to him in interview. He gave a prepared statement in which he denied dealing drugs but admitted the cannabis and the paraphernalia were his. He said he’d bought the cannabis for £600 earlier that day intending to keep it and smoke it himself.

Roy Headlam, mitigating, said his client was remorseful. He had four children and had been working in the building trade, although was how employed in a warehouse. “He’s happy, he’s content. He’s thankfully, at long last, behaving responsibly.”

The barrister asked the judge to bear in mind the age of the offence and the fact Mendes had not come to the attention of the police in the intervening period.

Mendes, of Portpool Lane, Camden, admitted possession with intent to supply cannabis.