Judge tells man who kept Sneinton drug dealer ‘untidy and unsafe’ ‘you’re an idiot’

This cannabis grower set aside a room at the “untidy and unsafe” house he rented to produce thousands of pounds of the drug. Nottingham Crown Court we heard how the Sneinton property also had its electricity bypassed and grow equipment was found inside the bedroom.

Michael Croly, who has never been in trouble before, also had a knife inside the address, which a judge said was typical of people using guns to protect their business. But the 29-year-old married man was given the chance to avoid jail after staying out of trouble for nearly two years since. police conducted a raid and made the discovery.

Jailing him for 12 months, suspended for two years, Judge Michael Auty KC said: “Michael Croly, you are an idiot for doing this, you are. Because you jeopardized your freedom and the well-being of your wife who depends on you.

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“These courts are sickened by the number of cannabis crops that are emerging in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Cannabis does not deserve its street reputation as a harmless drug.

“It can have three consequences. One, it is carcinogenic, which means it causes cancer.

“Two, it can, and frequently does, affect people’s mental health. And three, it often leads users to experiment with other drugs.

“This is your first offense, let it be your last. Everyone is entitled to a chance. That’s yours.”

Mark Church. The prosecution said police executed a warrant at Croly’s private rented home in Lyndhurst Road, Sneinton, on September 21, 2022, and the defendant and a woman were inside.

He said: “It was quite an untidy and unsafe state. One aspect of this was that the electricity had been bypassed and the neutral wire looked like current.

“A bedroom on the first floor has been completely converted to grow cannabis with 31 mature plants there. The yield, if the whole plant were healthy, cut and sold in street deals, was estimated at £26,000.

“He accepted that he was using 1g a day. Three devices were seized but there was nothing on them to support the supply of drugs.” Croly pleaded guilty to producing cannabis and illegally extracting electricity.

Lauren Manuel, mitigating, said her client has “significant learning difficulties”, “has never held paid employment” and acts as a carer for his wife who has health problems. She said: “There is a suggestion that others were involved.

“It was a sophisticated setup that was beyond Mr. Croly’s ability. This is so impersonal to him.”