A “STRONG smell” of cannabis led police to a major cultivation of the drug, which was potentially worth over £13,000.

Police officers were alerted to the cultivation at an address at Tranent’s Northfield following information given to them from an “anonymous source”, who had claimed there was a “strong smell of cannabis” emanating from the house.

Officers were granted a search warrant and once inside discovered 23 plants growing in a bedroom at Robbie Dale’s house.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told that the plants could yield a profit of around £13,250, though only 15 plants were said to be “viable” and the court heard the profit figure could well be lower.

Solicitor Andrew Mellor said that his unemployed client shared the home with his brother but had immediately owned up to the fact that the plants were his when he was confronted by police. He asked for sentence to be deferred.

Sheriff Thomas Welsh deferred sentence to today (Thursday).

Dale, 21, pleaded guilty to producing cannabis from his home address on January 27 last year.

A plea of not guilty was accepted to a second charge of intentionally damaging the electricity line and meter provided by ScottishPower by bypassing the meter on the same date and same location.