possession in an increased penalty zone yesterday in plea court.

Rohan Grant, 31, pleaded guilty to possessing 6.61 grams of cannabis on December 22 of last year.

The court heard plain clothes narcotics officers driving an unmarked Police car east on Somerset Road saw Grant, of Malabar Road, exchange a wad of cash for a small plastic twist near the rear of a derelict building.

Grant was detained and searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act. He was fined $900 for possession of a controlled drug and an additional $1,000 for being in an increased penalty zone. He was within 100 metres of a church on Somerset Road.