A DALMUIR man who was found in possession of cocaine has been warned he could be sent to prison if he fails to comply with a community-based punishment.

Nicholas Ellis, 23, of Dalmuir Court, was found with 2.3 grams of the class A drug – worth approximately £90 – when he was searched by police at Brunswick House in Mountblow on April 29 last year.

A hearing at Dumbarton Sheriff Court last Friday was told Ellis is already on a community payback order for a separate offence.

Gail Campbell, defending, told the court: “He is the subject of an order which is a punishment for another matter.

“He seems to have sorted himself out in many ways. He has found, and maintained, solid employment.”

Deferring sentence, Sheriff William Gallacher told Ellis: “Reading this charge, and your circumstances, if I wasn’t dealing with anything else I could probably have dealt with this today.

“But I don’t trust you, because you’ve been told to do something in the past and you’re not complying.

“If you comply with the existing order, I will deal with this matter by way of a fine. But if you’re not complying, you won’t have a job any more, because you’ll be in jail.”

Cocaine is a Class A drug, which you can be jailed for up to seven years for possessing.