A TRANENT drug dealer who was caught with close to two kilos of cannabis has been jailed.

Alistair McGee was found with the huge stash of the Class B drug at his home in 2014.

McGee claimed he had grouped together with friends to acquire all the equipment needed to harvest the drug, including lighting and heating.

The 37-year-old agreed to be the one who grew the plants at his home and he alone stood in the dock at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday to face sentence for dealing, after previously pleading guilty.

Co-accused Sarah Oddy, 32, had her earlier plea of not guilty accepted by the Crown.

Fiscal depute Aiden Higgins had earlier said that police officers uncovered 1,894 grams of cannabis during a search of McGhee’s home at Kemp’s End in October 2014.

Mr Higgins told the court: “A total of five people, including the accused, had effectively contributed to a common fund to raise the money to buy the equipment.

“And when the police searched the accused’s home they recovered all the [hydroponic] equipment usually associated with growing cannabis.

“This group raised the money and bought the equipment but thereafter it fell to the accused alone to grow the cannabis. The crop and the profits would then be shared with the partners.”

Mr Higgins added that the weight and value of the drugs found was 1.894 kg, which had a value of £6,550.

On Monday, defence solicitor Mary Moultrie said that her client had received “no financial reward as such” from the illegal drug crop and that McGee was a first offender with no previous criminal history.

Ms Moultrie added that the drug crop had been “effectively a group venture” but that McGee had been the one who had been “running the operation”.

The solicitor told the court: “It seems to be an isolated offence and one he isn’t likely to repeat.”

Sheriff Michael O’Grady QC told McGee: “This is a persistent offence over a three-month period.

“It was premeditated and involved some preparation and a significant amount of cannabis was involved. The courts have made it clear offending of this type must be dealt with by way of custody.”

Sheriff O’Grady sentenced McGee to a 14-month prison sentence.

A proceeds of crime order hearing concerning the case will also be heard in December this year.

McGee pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis to others from his home address between July 1 and October 5, 2014.