A MAN who attended the Police Station with more than 27 grams of ketamine in his pocket and who drove while under the influence of a cocktail of drugs has been jailed.
Harrison Darren Jamie Whelan (25) appeared before the Royal Court after admitting a string of drug offences, drug driving and failing to disclose the pin number to his phone.
On 26 November 2024, Whelan attended Police Headquarters to answer bail for a separate matter. Upon his arrival, he was searched and he was found to have 28 bags of ketamine and a bottle containing liquid THC.
The court heard that the street value of the drugs would have been between £1,620 and £2,160.
A few months later, a police search of his home uncovered 15 Diazepam tablets that he did not have a prescription for and he was once again arrested.
Outlining the drug driving charge, Crown Advocate Carla Carvalho, prosecuting, said that on 22 September 2025, the Police Control Room received reports of someone driving “erratically” on La Route de la Haule in St Lawrence.
When officers arrived at the scene they found a driver accusing Whelan of rear-ending their vehicle and being high on drugs. Whelan was arrested and analysis of his blood showed six controlled substances – MDMA, diazepam, oxazepam, lorazepam, cocaine metabolite and ketamine, the court heard.
In his vehicle, officers also seized two bags of white powder – one containing 0.33 grams of ketamine and the other containing 1.01 grams of cocaine.
In April this year, Whelan was arrested on the forecourt of Roberts Garage at Springfield and found to have 113 pregablin tablets and was charged with possession of pregablin.
Advocate Sarah Dale, defending, said that her client is “a man that is in need of help to address the serious issues in his life”.
Suggesting the court impose a community service order rather than send Whelan to prison, Advocate Dale continued: “He was at street dealer level, nothing more. What is behind his offending, is abundantly clear, his addiction.
“We invite the court to consider addiction as a medical disorder – which many of the medical world agree it is”.
Delivering the court’s sentence, The Bailiff, Robert MacRae, presiding, said that the offences collectively, and individually, ensure that a “custodial sentence can be justified”.
He said: “You are unlikely to benefit from community service, due to the risk of non-compliance.
The Bailiff went on to say that despite the offences warranting a custodial sentence, the court had agreed to a lower jail term after taken into consideration Whelan’s age and the use of the drugs for his mental health.
In total, Whelan was jailed for one year and nine months and handed a 24-month driving ban, and will have to retake his test.
