Police stopped to help a lost motorist in Balloch and found the driver was carrying class A drugs, a court heard last week.

Dumbarton Sheriff Court heard plain clothes police officers were on duty in an unmarked car in Balloch on March 30 when they spotted what they believed was a driver seeking directions.

Fiscal depute Claire Martin said: “They noticed a Volkswagen Golf on Old Luss Road heading down to Loch Lomond Shores. The car was heading towards a dead end. Police noted that there were four occupants within the car.

“As the police stopped they saw the car also stopped and it looked as if they were asking for directions.

“Police thought they were lost and turned round back towards the Volkswagen Golf. The Volkswagen Golf appeared to flash its headlights and police took this as an invitation to stop and speak to them.” She said police then carried out the normal checks and also carried out a search for drugs.

The driver Andrew McKay was found to have a zip sealed plastic bag in his back pocket containing a white crystals.

Ms Martin said: “The accused said ‘That’s MDMA’.” Tests later revealed the 0.01g of the drug to be the chemical compound commonly known as ecstasy.

McKay, 26, represented himself in court on Tuesday at a sentencing hearing after pleading guilty by letter at the first opportunity.

He said the drugs had been left in his jeans pocket from a party two days previously but said he didn’t ‘take it myself’.

He added: “This is the first time I’ve ever been in bother like this. It’s not in my nature to do stuff like this.” Sheriff Thomas McCartney fined McKay, of Blairdardie Road, Knightswood, £200.