Man caught dealing drugs out of coffee shop

A MAN who was caught dealing drugs out of a coffee shop has been ordered to undergo unpaid work.

Amer Khalid bought a tea from Coffee Republic on West Regent Street on January 3 before heading upstairs to drink it.

He stayed at the coffee shop for a prolonged period of time with- out ordering any other food or drink which caused staff to become suspicious.

Other men were seen coming into the shop and heading upstairs, where Khalid, 32, of Glanderston Avenue in Newton Mearns, was sitting.

Concerned staff reviewed CCTV footage and noticed that there appeared to be transactions between Khalid and the visitors going on.

Staff then contacted police who approached him to make him aware of the suspicions.

They then carried out a search which revealed that he had bags of cannabis in his pocket.

A full search at Glasgow city centre police station revealed that he had 24 bags of the drug on him, worth a total of £2081.

Khalid appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to being in possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply.

Sheriff Platt told Khalid that he had come “as close as you can” to receiving a custodial sentence.

He ordered the accused to undergo 300 hours of unpaid work within six months.