A St George construction worker has been fined $750 or faces one month in prison after admitting possession of a small quantity of cocaine.

Dario Ramon Austin, 34, of Glebe Land, St George, appeared in the District ‘A’ Traffic Court and pleaded guilty to being in possession of cocaine weighing 0.27 grammes.

Station Sergeant Vernon Forde told the court that police were on duty along Savvy On The Bay when they observed the accused with his left hand folded and fidgeting, which aroused suspicion. Officers approached him and, after a search was requested and conducted, one storage bag containing the white powdery substance was discovered. Austin told police: “I was talking to a white woman and I feel something on my foot. I pick that up from off the beach to see what it was.” He was arrested and charged.