A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to three years in prison after being apprehended by officers while riding a Lime Bike in Oxford.
Fawad Ali, residing in Tudor Road, London, received his sentence at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday, 25 March.
The defendant admitted guilt to two charges of possessing class A controlled substances with intent to distribute, specifically cocaine and psilocybin mushrooms, along with a class B substance, namely cannabis, in Oxford on 15 December of the previous year.
The court was told that Ali was observed by officers in Cowley riding the Lime Bike while weaving across the road and looking at his mobile phone.
Police requested he stop and he was subsequently detained. Officers discovered a blue bag on his person containing several packets of controlled substances.
The total weight of the cocaine came to 3.8g, cannabis weighed 110g, and the magic mushrooms totalled 24.3g.
His mobile phone was taken into custody along with £165 in currency. The court was informed he entered the world in Lahore, Pakistan.
Tom Mayall, speaking in his defence, explained that Ali had fallen into severe financial difficulty.
He arrived in Britain to pursue studies but was unable to meet his tuition fee obligations.
The court heard Ali was burdened with £8,000 of debt and experiencing acute financial desperation.
Mr Mayall further stated that Ali felt genuine remorse for his conduct. He noted that Ali was living in Britain with minimal assistance and found himself in unfamiliar circumstances.
Judge Michael Roques imposed the three-year custodial term.
Orders were also made for the seizure and destruction of the controlled substances, the mobile phone, and the cash.
