Driver had drugs in his system on East Lothian road

A PAINTER and decorator has been banned from the road after he was caught driving with drugs in his system.

Drug driver case was heard at Edinburgh Sheriff Court

Ryan Ferguson, 25, was pulled over by police officers after they became concerned about the manner of his driving in Tranent, East Lothian.

The officers were in a marked vehicle and followed Ferguson’s grey Transit van from the town’s Bridge Street to Caponhall Road where they eventually stopped him.

And while speaking to the tradesman the officers became concerned at his demeanour and he was asked to take a roadside breath test at around 8.15pm on December 13 last year.

He gave a negative reading but following a subsequent drug test a positive reading was returned and he was taken to St Leonard’s police station in Edinburgh.

It was found Ferguson, of Musselburgh, East Lothian, had 200mg of Benzoyleconine per one litre of blood in his system and he was arrested and charged. The legal limit for the drug is just 50mg.

Ferguson pleaded guilty to the offence during an appearance at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

Defence agent Mary Moultrie said Ferguson had sought help for his drug taking and was attending appointments with the drug agency MELD.

Sheriff Kenneth Campbell noted Ferguson’s early plea and that he is a first offender and had not appeared in court previously.

The sheriff told him: “I am also encouraged to know you are taking steps to address your drug use.”

Ferguson was banned from driving for two years and ordered to pay a total fine of £220.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.