A MAN has been banned from driving for more than three years after being caught with two drugs in his system.

Curtis Butler, of Tan y Maes in Meliden, appeared at Mold Magistrates Court on Thursday.

The 26-year-old admitted that on November 25 at Queensferry, he drove a Nissan motor vehicle when the proportion of cannabis and benzoylecgonine (a cocaine breakdown product also referred to as BZE) in his blood exceeded the specified limit.

He was found to have more than 400 microgrammes of BZE per litre of blood, the limit being 50, and no less than 3 microgrammes of cannabis per litre of blood - the limit for that substance being 2.

Make sure you don't miss the top court stories of the week by signing up to our free court newsletter

The Leader:

Butler also admitted that on that occasion he drove otherwise than in accordance with a licence and without insurance.

Prosecutor Rhian Jackson told the court that on the day of the offence, the defendant was stopped on the A550 and after officers smelled cannabis they asked him to take a roadside drugs test.

It returned a positive reading for cannabis and cocaine - and once checks had been carried out, it was discovered that he had no insurance, as well as an expired driving licence.

A probation officer told the court the defendant claimed he was not aware his driving licence had expired.

He didn't believe it would still be in his system, the court heard - but he admitted he had smoked some cannabis the night prior to being stopped.

READ MORE: Men in court over behaviour in Wrexham Wetherspoons

Andy Hutchinson, defending, told the court his client and two other men had been driving to Queensferry to pick up an arcade machine.

He added Butler had taken cocaine three nights prior to the stop, and cannabis the night before.

The court handed down a 12 month community order with 200 hours unpaid work, 20 days of rehabilitation work and a 40 month driving ban.

The defendant must also pay £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge.