Former oil worker produced drugs to make ends meet

A former oil worker turned to growing cannabis to support himself after the North Sea downturn forced him out of work has been jailed for a year.

Oliver Georgopollous was made redundant from his job in the oil industry more than two years ago and took a job as a delivery driver to support himself.

But he said he couldn't live on his £700 to £900 a month wages - so started growing cannabis in a tent in his Dundee flat to give himself a second income.

When cops found his cultivation, made up of sophisticated equipment, he said he didn't smoke the drug himself, but grew it to sell on to "make a bit of money".

Now he faces jail after admitting cultivating and supplying cannabis over the period of a year.

Fiscal depute Eilidh Robertson told Dundee Sheriff Court the drugs found growing in his flat had a maximum value of £8400 - though his lawyer said they were worth around half that much.

She said: "A search of the property was undertaken, during which a cannabis cultivation consisting of 14 healthy mature plants was found within a tent in one of the rooms.

"Cannabis cultivation equipment including fans, power units, plant food, thermostats, sprayers, water pumps, extractors, filters, scales, grinders and irrigation systems was also found within the room, as were three containers containing a total of around 11 grams of harvested herbal cannabis.

"Various other items of cannabis cultivation were found in other rooms of the property and £2,260 in cash was found in the accused's bedroom.

"The accused was detained and stated 'I can make a bit of money' and 'I don't smoke it'.

"He admitted growing the cannabis found in his home and admitted that he sold it onto other persons, not smoking any of it himself other than to try out his crop when it was ready, which would be about every two months.

"He said he had been doing this for around a year and had bought the various paraphernalia either from local shops or online.

"He said that he did this purely for financial gain as he could not afford to live on the £700 to £900 per month he made in his job as a delivery driver, having previously been made redundant from his job in the oil industry.

"He said that he would sell one ounce of cannabis for £200 and that each plant would yield 'usually' about three ounces.

"He admitted that the cash recovered was partly the profits from his sale of the cannabis."

Georgopollous, 28, of Ballindean Terrace, Dundee, pleaded guilty on indictment to charges of producing and supplying cannabis from his home address between March 12 2015 and March 12 2016.

Defence solicitor Anika Jethwa said: "He started off selling to friends and that then became to friends of friends.

"It escalated when he lost his job.

"In the end it was almost a relief to be caught to an extent."

Sheriff Alastair Carmichael jailed Georgopollous for 12 months.

He said: "There is no option but a custodial sentence."