Man caught with cocaine under car seat jailed
BBCA man caught with cocaine under his car seat which he planned to try sell has been jailed for three years and 11 months.
Pasquale Bufano was stopped by police in Douglas in October and failed a roadside drug wipe test.
Douglas Courthouse heard officers found quantities of the drug in the driver's door pocket and under the seat.
The 38-year-old had agreed to sell the drugs on to keep in his own dealer's "good books", his defence lawyer told the court.
On 9 October 2024 police on patrol in a marked car had seen Bufano coming out of Newby's convenience store on Ballaquayle Road in Douglas and getting into a blue Fiat 500 that was illegally parked.
Officers signalled for the car to stop after it pulled away and he failed a roadside drug test before the car was searched, the court was told.
That saw a plastic tub containing a small amount of cocaine found in the driver's door pocket, while 4.4oz (25.7g) of the drug was found in a clear snap bag under his seat.
Later bloods tests found he was five times over the legal driving limit for the Class A drug.
He pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply, possession of the drug, and two counts of driving while under the influence of drugs.
The court heard he had received a Hero of Mann award in 2024 for his work in the hospitality trade.
His defence advocate said Bufano was an addict who had gone "from hero to close to zero" as the result of his actions.
As well as the jail term, he was disqualified from driving for five years after which he will be required to take an extended driving test to regain his licence.
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