A driver who was pulled over by police and caught with an “astronomical” amount of cocaine in his system has been banned from the roads.
Brandon Gervaise, 20, was more than six times the limit for cocaine while behind the wheel of his vehicle.
It was stopped in the Rubislaw area of Aberdeen in October last year.
When tested, he was found to have cannabis and a metabolite of cocaine in his system.
A sheriff told Gervaise, who claimed to have been to bed before driving, that he must have taken an “astronomical” amount of cocaine for such a high reading hours later.
Police smelled cannabis in car
Fiscal depute Stephanie Cardow told Aberdeen Sheriff Court that, on October 18 last year, police constables were on mobile patrol.
They observed Gervaise driving on North Anderson Drive, Aberdeen, and pulled alongside Garvaise’s car and asked him to pull over.
He then turned into Rubislaw Den Gardens.
“They observed the accused to have bloodshot eyes and there was a strong smell of cannabis coming from the vehicle,” Mrs Cardow said.
“Due to this, the accused was detained and asked to provide a drug swab.”
When tested, Gervaise had 323mcg of benzoylecgonine – a metabolite of cocaine – per litre of blood in his system. The legal limit is 50mcg.
The level of cannabis in his system was also revealed to be 2.9mcg of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol per litre of blood. The legal limit is 2mcg.
Gervaise pled guilty to being in charge of a motor vehicle with a metabolite of cocaine in his system.
He also admitted to a second charge of driving a car with cannabis in his system.
‘This has been a wake-up call’
Defence solicitor Caitlin Pirie told the court that Gervaise had been socialising with friends the night before he was stopped by police.
“He accepts that the quantities were in his system,” she said.
“Mr Gervaise had gone home to sleep and had not driven at all that day until the evening.
“He didn’t think it would still be in his system – this has been a wake-up call for him.”
Sheriff Rory Bannerman told Gervaise that the level of cocaine in his system “must have been astronomical” to provide such a high reading the following day.
He disqualified Gervaise, of Stronsay Drive, Aberdeen, from driving for 24 months and fined him a total of £600.
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