Judge: Drugs are rife in Gibraltar

GIBRALTAR (GibChronicle) A Supreme Court judge yesterday sentenced a cocaine dealer to three and half years in jail as she warned that the sale of hard drugs was rife in Gibraltar. Mark Livingstone, 28, was the latest small scale dealer to receive a lengthy sentence from judges who are taking a tough stance on the sale of class A drugs. “The defendant must take responsibility for his actions, which he made through choice,” said Puisne Judge Karen Prescott at a sentencing hearing in the Supreme Court yesterday. “It is not to be ignored that by his actions the defendant is putting class A drugs into circulation in our community and thus exposing our vulnerable young in particular to untold misery and suffering.” She added: “I note that these offences are prevalent in Gibraltar and the sentence must mark this as well as serve as a deterrent for other offenders.”>>>

Livingstone was arrested after police searched his home and found drugs split into individual plastic wrappers stashed behind a cushion in the living room.

Officers found over 20 wraps of cocaine each containing between 0.5g and 0.75g of the drug. They also found a wrap containing 2.75g of amphetamines.

Police also recovered a set of digital scales, which the court heard provided evidence of drug trafficking.

The street value of the cocaine was estimated to be around £980, while the amphetamine was worth £68.

Earlier this year Livingstone pleaded guilty to possession and possession with intent to supply 16.54g of cocaine, and possession of 2.75g of amphetamine sulphate.

The defendant was described as a “…a low level retailer but not one who is at the very bottom of the supply chain…”

The judge acknowledged that Livingstone, who sold drugs to fund his own “entrenched” drug use, had signalled his intention to seek help to kick the addiction.

Taking into account a number of additional mitigating factors, she sentenced Livingstone to three years and six months for the supply charge, with no separate sentence for the two charges of simple possession. The drugs were ordered to be destroyed.