A 46-year-old Newport man has been sent to prison for six months after admitting he had nitrous oxide – better known as laughing gas – with the intention of supplying it to others.
Imtiaz Ali, of Ebenezer Terrace, was sentenced at Newport Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to the drugs offences.
The offences
The court heard from Huw Williams, prosecuting, that the offending took place on Monday, 2 November.
Ali was carrying a hammer at Spytty Retail Park in Newport when he was found in possession of the gas.
What he admitted
- Possession of nitrous oxide with intent to supply
- Possession of cannabis
Sentencing
Presiding magistrate Katie Mary Wiltshire imposed a six-month custodial term.
She also ordered that the drugs be forfeited and destroyed.
Once he is released from custody, Ali will have to pay £85 in costs along with a £154 victim surcharge.
Laughing gas and the law
Nitrous oxide, sometimes referred to as ‘balloons’, was once described as a legal high. That changed on 8 November 2023, when it was made a class C drug, making possession with intent to supply a criminal offence.
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