A Paget man who admitted having cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply was this morning given a suspended sentence.

Morris Sousa, 52, was arrested on September 19 last year after plant material and an off-white, chalky substance were found in his car.

Officers later searched his Treadway Lane home and found cannabis and cocaine freebase, known as crack cocaine, and four grinders with traces of plant material. In total, police seized 71.6 grams of cannabis and 2.5g of cocaine freebase from Sousa’s property.

Sousa pleaded guilty to the offences in August, explaining that while he did not use cocaine, he had been using cannabis to deal with pain for more than a year.

Appearing in Magistrates’ Court this morning on crutches, Sousa apologised for his actions, noting several medical issues he is dealing with.

“I would love to have mercy from the court,” he said. “I’m so sorry for everything I have done but I was doing that to ease me up from pain.”

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo however noted that Sousa had been convicted of a similar offence of possessing cannabis with intent to supply about 20 years ago.

“Your ailment is no excuse,” Mr Tokunbo said. “You are not only convicted of having two different drugs, but also drug equipment. Grinders.”

While the magistrate told Sousa that the offences warrant an immediate custodial sentence of 18 months, he would suspend that sentence for a period of two years.

He further sentenced Sousa to two years of probation, including that he abstain from illegal drugs and submit to random drug tests.

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