Andrew Niagos: Earlwood mechanic found guilty of cocaine and cannabis possession
An army reserve officer caught in an inner city laneway with cocaine and cannabis has fronted court, and ultimately escaped without a conviction. Find out why.
Inner West
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After plain clothed police officers noticed a young man place an item into his wallet and quickly wipe his nose while sniffing, they knew they were onto something.
Earlwood man Andrew Niagos, 26, was supported by family when he fronted Newtown Local Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to two counts of illegal drug possession.
The court heard Niagos, who works as a mechanic, was also a member of the Australian Army Reserve.
The 26-year-old, who has no criminal record, found himself in the sights of police when he was medically discharged from the army reserve after injuring himself playing sport, the court heard.
It was at this time — on February 11 — Niagos found himself on the wrong side of the law.
According to documents tendered to court, about 11:20am police observed him cross Missenden Rd, Newtown, before continuing on down Longdown St and turning into a driveway.
“A plain clothes officer walked past (Niagos) who was observed to be placing an unknown item into his wallet and wiping his nose while sniffing,” police facts state.
This roused the suspicion of police and the 26-year-old mechanic immediately told them he was in possession of a joint and, after a search, police found 0.59g of cocaine in his wallet as well.
In court, Niagos’ lawyer said his client had regular drug screening as part of his role in the army and had never once tested positive before.
The court also heard the 26-year-old had referred himself to St Vincent’s Hospital drug outpatient service to seek help following the incident.
Magistrate Lisa Stapleton said it was a shame Niagos had turned to drugs during his time away from the army reserves, but also said he had no previous criminal history, possessed only a small amount of drugs and deserved to be commended for his service to the community.
Ms Stapleton did not convict him of the offences, instead sentencing him to a 12-month conditional release order.
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