A DRUG-DRIVER more than twice the cocaine limit was caught after being stopped by police during Road Safety Week.

Mark Ritson, 31, had been driving a Mercedes vehicle on Ewanrigg Road in Maryport on October 3 when he was pulled over, Workington Magistrates’ Court heard.

Jacqui Partington, prosecuting, said officers suspected the defendant may be under the influence of drugs. A drugs wipe was positive for cocaine.

Ritson provided a sample of blood at Workington Police Station. This showed he had 23mcg of cocaine per litre of blood. The specified limit is 10mcg.

He had more than 800mcg of Benzoylecgonine – the body breakdown product for cocaine – per litre of blood. The specified limit is 50mcg.

John Cooper, defending said Ritson had been stopped by police during Road Safety Week and there was nothing specific as to why he was stopped.

Ritson, of High Street, Maryport, pleaded guilty to two charges of driving a motor vehicle with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit.

Magistrates banned the defendant from driving for 14 months. Ritson was fined £120 and must pay £85 costs and a £48 victim surcharge.