Man caught taking cocaine off mobile phone
The man attempted to flee from Gardai after being observed sniffing cocaine off the back of a mobile phone before being apprehended a short time later
A man caught sniffing cocaine off the back of a mobile phone in Letterkenny tried to flee from Gardai.
Claudio Katanga was charged in connection with the incident on June 19, 2022.
Katanga, a 25-year-old with an address at Rockhampton Rise, Barnsley, was not present when the case was dealt with at Letterkenny District Court.
The court heard that Gardai were on patrol on the day in question when they observed Katanga acting in a suspicious manner.
Gardai then saw Katanga appearing to sniff a white powder off a mobile phone.
When officers approached and searched Katanga under the Misuse of Drugs Act, a ziplock bag containing suspected cocaine was located.
Katanga attempted to grab the bag from a garda before he took off running. Gardai apprehended Katanga on Justice Walsh Road and was subsequently arrested.
Katanga admitted that the substance was cocaine and he told Gardai it was for his own personal use.
A subsequent analysis by Forensic Science Ireland confirmed that the substance was cocaine.
Judge Éiteáin Cunningham said she found the facts proven and fined Katanga €150, allowing five months to pay.