Coleraine men jailed for drugs offences at Antrim court

by Roger Donnelly

Two Coleraine men are starting jail sentences, after being convicted for drugs offences.

They were arrested  last year during an investigation into organised crime in the Coleraine and Portstewart areas. 

Antrim Crown Court heard when police searched an address at Taylor’s Row Coleraine, they found a cocaine press,with traces of cocaine, in a locked garage.

Also in the garage were two sets of Salter digital scales, a blender, 1.7kgs of cutting agents confirmed to be benzocaine, caffeine and creatine, multiple plastic bags, a knife, a pair of rubber gloves and a white plastic bucket. A small quantity of cocaine was also found in a bedroom.

John McAuley, 35,  from Irish Society Court, Coleraine, was sentenced to 32 months prison, and will spend fourteen of them in custody.

Adrian Hanna, 34, from Taylor's Row, Coleraine, received 28 months imprisonment, including 12 months in custody. Both men pleaded guilty to producing a Class A controlled drug.

McAuley was also convicted of conspiracy to supply a Class A drug.

Hanna’s former partner,Tracey Hook, 32, received a suspended sentence in April, after pleading guilty to being the occupier of the premises permitting production of a Class A drug.