A Derbyshire-based point-to-point racehorse owner and trainer has been jailed for growing and selling cannabis at his stables.
Fifty-five year old Robert Woods — who pleaded guilty to production, possession and supply of the drug — was handed a 21-month prison sentence by Derby Crown Court on Monday, 5 January.
Nearly 200 cannabis plants, valued at around £30,000, were found at Calke Abbey Racing Stables in Boundary, near Swadlincote, during a police raid in July 2008.
Mr Woods was selling the drug in an attempt to repay a £183,000 debt to loan sharks and was generating up to £400 week profit from the sales.
Avik Mukherjee, who was defending Mr Woods, called it a crime for “needs rather than greed”.
But the activity was named as “professional cultivation” by Judge Everard who sentenced Mr Woods on Monday.
The racehorse trainer must also pay £21,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
