AN IRVINE drug dealer found with a £7,900 stash of cocaine said the substance was for personal use and to sell to friends - or friends of friends.
John Armstrong is awaiting sentence after pleading guilty to being concerned in the supplying of the class A drug.
The 36-year-old admitted to committing the offence over an 18-month period from April 17, 2023 until October 25 the following year.
He was caught out when police attended his home with a search warrant in the morning of October 25, 2024, prosecutor Ewan Nicholson told Kilmarnock Sheriff Court.
Officers gained entry through an unlocked door and found Armstrong at the address.
During the course of a search, various items associated with the sale of drugs were recovered by police.
This included £590 in cash as well as scales with "traces of white powder".
Police also seized a tub containing a block of white material, a plastic wrap containing white powder and two bags also containing white powder – all of which were tested and confirmed to be cocaine.
Following the search, Armstrong was arrested and taken to Saltcoats police office, where he was cautioned and charged.
He went on to make various admissions during an interview, including that "he had been purchasing the drug from the same person since he was 15".
Mr Nicholson added: "He said it was for personal use and to sell to friends or friends of friends but would not disclose who he got it from."
Armstrong's electronic devices were later analysed, which provided further evidence of his involvement in the supply of the drug.
Defending, solicitor Peter Murray acknowledged this was "clearly a serious matter" and called for reports to be prepared prior to sentencing.
Sheriff Nicola Patrick said: “You will need to address me on his status. It’s 18 months of dealing class A drugs.”
Mr Murray then added that Armstrong was in full-time employment and had been on bail since his initial arrest with no issues.
The lawyer also stated that his client only had one previous conviction relating to drugs - one of possession - and had been "out of trouble for some 11 years".
Sheriff Patrick then agreed to defer sentence until later this year. Armstrong was granted bail in the meantime.
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