A young drug driver who admitted money laundering and drug-dealing has walked free from court after being handed a suspended sentence.

Adam Luke Johnson, 26, was given an 11-month jail term suspended for 18 months and banned from driving for two years.

He was pulled over by police at Glen Helen car park after his Volkswagen Golf was spotted by a mobile patrol on the main road at Greeba on December 8 last year.

The car smelled of cannabis. Inside, officers found 220 Pregabalin tablets with a street value of £880. Johnson told police he had bought the tablets online and they were for his own use.

He failed a drug wipe and he subsequently tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, with 281mg per one litre of blood. The legal limit is 50.

Police searched his home in Cronk-y-Voddy and seized 181.9 grams of cannabis, valued at £3,638, in two plastic bags, and a further 79 tablets of the class C drug Pregabalin, valued at £316. Officers also found a grinder, a sealed packet, plastic wraps and £5,465 in cash.

Johnson pleaded guilty to drug-driving, possessing criminal property, namely the cash, possessing cannabis with intent to supply, and two counts of possessing Pregabalin with intent to supply.

He entered a basis of plea that a quantity of the tablets were for personal use, as he was addicted to Pregabalin at the time.

Defence advocate Paul Rodgers told the Court of General Gaol Delivery: ‘This is a young man who still needs help with his drug use.’

Deemster Graeme Cook told the defendant that he had ended up in a relationship which was emotionally abusive and this had made an impact on his young life.

He said: ‘You have returned to your family and perhaps you are now moving on with your life.’

Handing Johnson an 11-month jail term suspended for 18 months, he told him: ‘You have an opportunity to prove everybody right that you can leave crime and drugs behind you.’

Johnson was given an eight-month suspended sentence for the drugs supply offences and three months consecutive for the money laundering offence.

The Deemster sat as a Deputy High Bailiff to sentence him to two months to run concurrently for the drug driving offence.

Johnson was also handed an 18-month supervision order and banned from driving for two years. He will have to take an extended driving test to regain his licence.