A CLARACH man driving with cannabis and cocaine in his system had almost 88 grammes of cannabis in the car after pooling money with friends to buy in bulk.

Callum Jacob Thomson, of 3 The Cross, pleaded guilty to possession of just under 88 grammes of cannabis, as well as driving with derivatives of cannabis and cocaine in his system.

He also admitted driving without a licence and without insurance on 27 January.

Magistrates heard that Thomson’s hopes of becoming a teacher would be ended by his conviction.

Rhian Jones, prosecuting, said Thomson, 22, was stopped by a police officer while driving on Marine Terrace just after midnight.

When the officer spoke to Thomson he smelt cannabis and, after asking Thomson about the smell, Thomson handed over a bag which he said contained cannabis.

Inside the holdall were three smaller separate bags all containing cannabis.

Checks showed that Thomson was only a provisional driving licence holder and wasn’t insured to drive the car. And checks at Aberystwyth Police Station showing that Thomson had levels of compounds from cannabis and cocaine in his blood above specified limits.

Thomson told police that only a third of the cannabis was his as he had clubbed together with friends to buy it in bulk as it worked out cheaper, but said he had not been making any profit and that the decision was stupid.

Defence solicitor Iestyn Davies said Thomson had spent the last year working after graduating from Aberystwyth University to pay for a teacher training course, but that would now not happen.

Mr Davies said Thomson had been working long hours at the time and had been using cannabis to help him relax.

He said that his arrest had been a “wake-up call” for Thomson who had since stopped using cannabis.

Thomson was sentenced to a 12-month community order and will have to complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity requirement as well as 40 hours of unpaid work.

He was also banned from driving for a year and will pay costs of £170.