A BUMBLING drug dealer was caught with 287 tablets he believed to be ecstasy, even though they actually contained no controlled drugs, a court heard. Christopher MacKenzie, 33, was handed a suspended prison sentence at a hearing held at Luton Crown Court

A BUMBLING drug dealer was caught with 287 tablets he believed to be ecstasy, even though they actually contained no controlled drugs, a court heard.

Christopher MacKenzie, 33, was handed a suspended prison sentence at a hearing held at Luton Crown Court yesterday and told to clean up his act.

He pleaded guilty to possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply after police raided his home and discovered the tablets, which he thought were MDMA. He also admitted possessing cannabis which he said was for personal use.

As reported in The Crow earlier this year, police officers swooped on Mackenzie's house, in Burns Road, Royston, in the early hours of May 21.

They found the haul of pills and cannabis, but tests carried out later revealed none of the tablets contained any controlled drugs.

When interviewed MacKenzie said he had sold five or six of the tablets to friends for 50p.

Stephen McCaffrey, defending, said MacKenzie had directed the police to where the drugs were when his home was raided.

He said: "It was an amateurish operation from the beginning to the end. He was selling the tablets for 50p each when the street value is �2 to �3."

Mr McCaffrey said MacKenzie had become dependent upon cannabis following the death of his son. He said he had refused to engage in counselling after the boy's death and was smoking as many as 20 to 30 joints of cannabis a day.

Judge Richard Foster said he was not sending MacKenzie to jail but said he hoped the court appearance had been a "wake up call."

The judge said: "These are serious matters which could give rise to a custodial sentence of some length. Your life has been a mess. You need to sort it out. Please take this chance."

MacKenzie was given a 12 month sentence suspended for two years, with supervision for 18 months. He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work and was placed on a nine month drug rehabilitation requirement.