Published: Wednesday, 10th March, 2010 1:55pm

Dealer's pill 'headache'

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By Rosalyn Campbell

A JOHNSTONE man was caught red-handed with 2,000 Ecstasy pills - and then claimed they were for a headache.

Police raided Leejay Druce's home and found the lethal stash in his hall cupboard.

But the 35-year-old played dumb when police uncovered the Class A drugs, saying: "I don't know what they are - they're for headaches."

The 2,000 tablets were seized by police after Druce was taken to Paisley Police Office for questioning - and they found 43 pills in his possession.

A warrant was obtained to search his home in Thrush Place, Johnstone - where the rest of the drugs were found in a hall cupboard along with £500 in cash.

At Paisley Sheriff Court, Druce admitted that he had been concerned in the supply of the Class A drugs on July 19 2008.

Depute fiscal Stephen Ferguson said that he had been detained and taken to the police station in connection with other enquiries.

Once there, the tablets were found in his possession, so officers applied for and got a search warrant to go over his home with a fine tooth comb.

The drugs were recovered concealed in four plastic bags and the money was lying nearby.

The fiscal told the court that the quality of the tablets seized was poor, containing a 'relatively low concentration' of the active stimulant.

After Druce last month admitted his guilt and pleaded guilty to carrying out an assault in Sophie's Bar in Johnstone by striking his victim with a glass, Sheriff George Kavanagh deferred sentence and called for background reports and a community service assessment, ordering him to return to court for final disposal.

When Druce returned to learn his fate yesterday, the sheriff was persuaded to seek a Drug Treatment and Testing Order assessment on him.

He adjourned the matter once more, ordering Druce to return to court again on March 30 to be sentenced.