Teenager who sold drugs in Dungannon school given probation order

A TEENAGER caught dealing cannabis vapes in a Tyrone secondary school has been handed an 18-month probation order, after it emerged he went on to order more drugs while under police investigation.

Matthew Kyle (19), of Glendavagh Road, Aughnacloy, appeared before Dungannon Magistrates Court, where he pleaded guilty to two separate drug-related offences.

The first charge pertained to January 24, 2024 when the principal of a secondary school in Dungannon reported that cannabis vapes had been found in a schoolbag.

The court heard that the defendant, who was studying his A-levels at the time, admitted selling the vapes to one of his peers.

A police interview subsequently took place where Kyle admitted selling the cannabis products for £30.

The second offence related to the following October 18 whereby a local shop reported to police that a package addressed to the defendant had arrived at their premises.

The package, addressed to the shop but bearing the defendant’s name, contained two cannabis vapes as well as cannabis gummies.

Later, Kyle attended the shop and lifted the parcel, showing his driver’s licence to shopkeepers to confirm his identity.

However, police stopped his vehicle and recovered the illicit goods, with Kyle admitting buying the vapes but not the gummies. He stated that they were included as a ‘goodwill gesture’.

Defence counsel Noel Dillon told the court that Kyle had been suspended following the school drug-dealing offence. However, he noted that the teen was allowed back to complete his A-Levels, where he achieved two Bs and a C.

Mr Dillon said that Kyle was assessed as having a ‘low likelihood’ of reoffending and noted his early guilty pleas.

However, deputy district judge Sean O’Hare noted that Kyle ordered the drugs while under investigation for dealing in school.

He added that the 19-year-old couldn’t tell police where he got the drugs from.

By way of sentence, Kyle was handed a probation order of 18 months.