Harry Clifford Egan pulled over with white powder on his nose in Ballina, pleads guilty to coke and meth driving
A Ballina drug driver caught with a bundle of cash and white powder around his nostrils told police he’d had a “big night”. Now, he’s faced a local court.
Police & Courts
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A drug driver on the move in Ballina was caught with $2610 cash and white powder resembling cocaine around his nostrils after a “big night”.
Ballina man Harry Clifford Egan pleaded guilty at Ballina Local Court on Thursday to two counts of driving with an illicit drug present in his system and one count each of driving with a disqualified licence and possessing a prohibited drug.
The 32-year-old’s car was pulled over on Fox St in Ballina for a random roadside test on February 11 last year, police documents state.
Officers noticed “white powder around his nostrils” and Egan was found to have methamphetamines in his system.
“Last night was a big night, I don‘t remember taking anything”, he told police.
Egan was arrested and taken to Ballina Police Station.
A secondary test showed an additional positive reading for cocaine, police facts state.
Officers found a small set of scales, a pill crusher and numerous empty small resealable plastic bags in Egan’s vehicle. One bag contained 0.92g of a “crystal-like substance”, confirmed to be methamphetamines.
Police searched Egan and found $1400 in his pants pocket and $1210 in his wallet.
He was charged with being in the possession of suspected stolen goods.
However, Egan has pleaded not guilty to that charge, claiming he won the cash at the pokies the previous evening.
Egan told police he was so “smashed” he could not remember where he won it, police documents state.
Police allege the money is the proceeds of crime or was otherwise illegally obtained, noting the absence of documentation.
Egan was then caught drug driving with a disqualified licence on North Creek Rd in Ballina on February 14.
He again tested positive to cocaine and methamphetamines.
Magistrate Karen Stafford fined Egan $1000 and disqualified his licence for a year.
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