A local man has been sentenced to three years and seven months behind bars for drugs offences by the Supreme Court today.

Manuel Ballester, 41, of Varyl Begg Estate was arrested on 18 December 2018 after the RGP’s Drug Squad executed a Search Warrant at his home.

After forcing entry to his property, he told detectives: “You won’t find anything here, I already knew you were coming.”

The detectives, together with the RGP’s Drug Detection Dog, then searched in and around the property and found approximately 605 grams of cannabis resin, worth around £3,250. 

Ballester’s car was then searched in his presence with the Drugs Detection Dog and several wrappers of cocaine weighing 9.99 grams with a street value of £600 were found.

He was then arrested and later interviewed at New Mole House, where he denied the drugs were his.

But a subsequent forensic examination that was sent to the UK found his DNA on both the cannabis and cocaine.

On 13 August 2019, he was then charged with Possession of a Controlled Class A Drug, Possession of a Controlled Class B Drug, Possession with Intent to Supply a Controlled Class A Drug and Possession with Intent to Supply a Controlled Class B Drug.

Ballester pleaded not guilty, but was found guilty of all charges last month.

Today, he was sentenced to three years and seven months for the cocaine offences and 27 weeks for the cannabis offences, the two sentences to run concurrently.