5:58pm Wednesday 17th March 2010
A COUPLE created an elaborate drug-growing factory at their home because they did not like mixing with criminals when they visited their previous dealers.
Police discovered the cannabis farm when they went to the bungalow of Stephen Odysseas and Georgia Smith in Stockton to look for stolen goods, a court was told.
Officers seized 43 plants which could have produced a £7,370 yield from a converted loft and a bedroom, as well as almost £4,000 worth of dried super-strength “skunk”.
Nathan Moxon, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court that £1,510 in cash was also found, while the electricity supply had been tampered with to heat the seedlings.
Drugs paraphernalia such as grinders and smoking “bongs” were also recovered from the property as well as the couple’s mobile phone shop in Middlesbrough.
Jim Withyman, for Smith, said: “To all intents and purposes, this couple are law-abiding members of the community. They have a business in which they both work.
“They do have a cannabis habit – a heavy one – and they were finding that they were having to go further afield and deal with criminal elements and unpleasant people when they were visiting dealers.”
Robin Denny, for Odysseas, said: “The reason he decided, with his partner, to involve himself in production are two-fold – to ensure that what they consumed was pure and to avoid being involved with the criminal community in trying to purchase the product.”
Odysseas, 30, admitted producing Class C drugs, possessing Class C drugs with intent to supply and the criminal damage of the electricity meter to the value of £80.
His 43-year-old partner, who also lived at Green Lane, Stockton, pleaded guilty to both the drugs charges and was given the same 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, with 100 hours of unpaid work.
The court heard that despite the tampering to the electricity meter, the supplier believes no power was extracted during the two-month drug-growing scheme.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/trade_directory/