A 26-year-old father-of-two, Zaqib Khan from Park Lane East, Tipton, appeared at Dudley Magistrates' Court after being found in possession of 46 wraps of crack cocaine.
The incident occurred on 28 February when police stopped the BMW Mr Khan was driving in Tipton. Upon approach, he attempted to evade officers before being detained. During the arrest, a large packet containing 35 wraps of the class A drug fell from his person. Additionally, a second packet with 11 wraps was found concealed in his crotch area.
Mr Khan pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled class A substance during the hearing on 24 September. His legal representative informed the court that since the offence, he has remained out of trouble and is currently employed as a taxi driver. She described the offence as a “one-off, isolated incident,” noting that he did not suffer from addiction.
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She added that at the time, Mr Khan had been “hanging around with the wrong crowd,” who were significantly older than him, and characterised the event as a “lapse in judgement.”
Magistrates sentenced Mr Khan to an 18-month community order, requiring him to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and attend 15 rehabilitation activity sessions. He was also ordered to pay a £114 victim surcharge and £85 in court costs.