A horticulture student who put his studies to use by starting a £30,000 cannabis farm in his flat was jailed for more than a year on Wednesday.
Kevin Martin’s cultivation was found by police acting on a tip-off in October last year.
They smashed their way in to his flat in Dundee’s Rosefield Street and found it was unoccupied – but being used to house 73 cannabis plants.
Police found a mobile phone belonging to Martin – who had been studying horticulture at a local college – which had evidence on it of him selling harvested cannabis as well as growing equipment to punters.
Fiscal depute Lynne Mannion told Dundee Sheriff Court: “It was clear it was being solely used for growing cannabis.
“The set up looked disorganised and not well constructed but could still produce plants.
“A total of 73 plants were found with a total potential illicit yield of £21,900 to £29,200.
“Drug dealing texts were recovered from his black Samsung mobile phone that showed him offering to sell drugs to others.
“Reference to ‘Psycho’ – a strain of cannabis – were found and he offers to supply 15 grams for £110.
“There are also references to offering to sell growing equipment.
“He was later found at his partner’s address, detained and cautioned.
“While en-route to police HQ he volunteered: ‘What can I say? I’m just pleading guilty.'”
Horticulture student turned his flat into £30,000 cannabis farm
Martin, 29, of Rosefield Street, Dundee, pleaded guilty on indictment to being concerned in the supply of cannabis between August 7 and October 6 last year.
Defence solicitor Jim Caird said: “The figures stated in the narrative are obviously based on every plant reaching full size.
“The set up was disorganised and not particularly well put together but it was producing.
“He has been heavily using cannabis over a period of years.”
Sheriff Lorna Drummond QC said jail was the only option given the value of the cannabis and the fact Martin has a previous conviction from 2010 for producing cannabis.
She said: “In 2010 he got community service for producing cannabis and here we are in 2018 and he’s been convicted of being concerned in the supply of cannabis and it is clear his role was that he was producing it himself.”
