A DRUG dealing dad who was growing his own cannabis was told he was lucky not to be going straight to jail.

Justin Kehely, 44, was caught using an industrial pressing machine to make cannabis pouches in his garden shed when police raided his Tredegar home.

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Thomas Stanway, prosecuting, told Cardiff Crown Court how the defendant was cultivating a crop with a potential street value of £8,000.

Officers also found more than 200g of the drug at Kehely’s house which was worth £1,620.

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Mr Stanway said: “He was supplying cannabis to a number of users.”

The defendant, of Bevan Avenue, pleaded guilty to producing cannabis and possessing the class B drug with intent to supply.

The offences were committed on October 23, 2019.

Jeffrey Jones, mitigating, said father-of-two Kehely had been assessed as posing a low risk of reoffending by the Probation Service.

His barrister said the defendant acted as a carer for his elderly parents and was suffering from a serious spinal condition as well as anxiety and depression.

Mr Jones added: “He has no relevant previous convictions. He is shaking like a leaf in the dock. He is fearful of his fate.”

The court was told the defendant became addicted to cannabis as a teenager but was not free of the drug.

The judge, Recorder IWL Jones, told Kehely: “Controlled drugs are a serious problem in society. They destroy lives.

“It is sad to see someone of your age in the dock.”

He said he was just about able to hold back from sending the defendant straight into custody.

Kehely was jailed for eight months, the prison sentence being suspended for two years.

He was ordered to complete a 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

The defendant is due to face a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing later this year.