Police seized cannabis plants worth thousands in raid on East Lothian man's home

An East Lothian man was caught with thousands of pounds of cannabis plants when police raided his home earlier this year.

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Fraser Smith, 32, was found to have ten mature cannabis plants growing in his attic when officers searched his former home in Macmerry.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told the Class B drug cultivation was worth an estimated £9000.

Plants worth £9000 were found in Smith's attic

Smith, currently of Queens Drive, Haddington, was subsequently caught behind the wheel of a vehicle while serving a previously-imposed five year driving ban during a police stop later that day.

Officers pulled Smith over at a garage near Musselburgh and during the search of the vehicle they discovered a knuckle duster and a knife.

Smith has now pleaded guilty to producing the cannabis plants, driving while banned and possessing an offensive weapon.

READ MORE: Broxburn cannabis farm was the largest busted by police in Scotland this year

The court was also told Smith was admitting a separate charge of using abusive language and threats towards a woman during phone calls between June 3 and 4 this year.

Prosecutor Ross Price told the court police officers attended at a property in the village of Macmerry at around 10.10pm on January 22 this year.

The officers entered through an unlocked front door and soon during the search discovered the cannabis farm growing in the attic space.

READ MORE: Two due in court over £141,000 cannabis plant haul in West Lothian house

Smith was later pulled over in a vehicle at the BP garage at Old Craighall where they found him to be driving the vehicle while banned.

The officers also found the offensive weapon, namely a “black metal knuckle duster” with a knife that was concealed in the handle, within the vehicle.

Mr Price added Smith had made an abusive phone calls to Claire Ingle who he had been in an “on-off relationship” with.

During the calls he told the woman she was ‘a fat slag” and “a fat tramp” while he also threatened to physically harm her brother.

Solicitor Andrew Mellor said his client and Ms Ingle had “clearly not been getting on” at the time but reserved his full mitigation to the sentencing hearing.

Sheriff Peter McCormack deferred sentence for the preparation of social work reports and a restriction of liberty assessment to be prepared.

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