A TEENAGER was found to be cultivating 45 cannabis plants, in different states of growth, when police visited his home one morning.

Officers arriving at the address, in Chapel Drive, Delves Lane, Consett, noticed a strong smell of cannabis prior to conducting the search, at 8.35am on December 3.

Durham Crown Court was told three growth areas were found within the roof space, which was fitted out with about £2,000-worth of sophisticated heating, lighting and watering equipment.

Penny Bottomley, prosecuting, said 18 of the recovered plants were fully grown, 14 were less advanced and 13 were smaller still, while there were also two “mother plants”, from which the others were propagated.

The court heard that depending on the yield, the plants had the potential to bring in between £8,000 and £10,000.

Jordan Mark Smith, who answered the door to police, told the officers he cultivated the 18 mature plants for his own use, and the others were back up in case the growth failed, adding that he would probably have thrown them away.

He said he was a heavy user of cannabis, smoking between ten and 15 joints per day.

Although Smith, now of Fontburn Road, Bedlington, in Northumberland, admitted cultivating cannabis at a previous hearing, it was said to be on the basis that it was for self use.

But, following a trial of issue at the court, earlier this month, Judge Christopher Prince ruled that due to the number of plants involved he believed there was a commercial element to the growth.

Sam Faulks, mitigating, said that Smith, now 19, was younger still at the outset of the operation.

“He’s a young man who, at the time, had a rather immature philosophy about cannabis, with the belief that it was a drug that should be legalised.”

But, Mr Faulks said the attitude the defendant then held, “is no longer there”.

“He had only just become an adult when this offending arose, but he’s otherwise unknown to police.

“It’s undoubtedly a case, however, where he was smoking a prodigious quantity of cannabis at that time.

“Part of that crop would have found its way to others, but a substantial part would have been kept to be smoked by him.”

But Judge Christopher Prince compared it to someone drinking beer in a brewery.

“They may be having a few drinks, but it’s still a commercial enterprise.”

Imposing a sentence of two years and three months in a young offenders’ institution, Judge Prince also ordered confiscation of all the seized equipment.