A DRUG dealer caught with nearly £40,000 worth of cannabis and tens of thousands of pounds in cash has been spared prison at Greenock Sheriff Court.

Paul MacLean - snared by police in a midnight sting - had kilos of the class B substance and bundles of mixed bank notes stuffed inside suitcases and Ikea shopping bags at his Port Glasgow home.

The 28-year-old, of Westray Avenue, has been given a community-based sentence by Sheriff James Varney, who declared that he was 'satisfied' there was an alternative to custody in the case.

MacLean was initially stopped by officers as he drove a Ford Transit van with a cargo of a kilo of herbal cannabis, nearly £5,000 cash and multiple mobile phones.

The court heard that his partner approached police and MacLean - who had become 'very hostile' - stated: "If you find anything else in that house it belongs to me and not her."

A search warrant was then obtained and more cannabis and money were recovered from the property in February last year, along with tick lists, scales and other drugs paraphernalia.

The notes within the property totalled £15,690, while the cannabis there - weighing 4.4kg - had an estimated value of around £35,000.

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MacLean, who had originally been charged on indictment together with his partner, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supplying of cannabis.

Defence lawyer Aidan Gallagher told the court that his client was 'pressured' into becoming involved but not 'coerced'.

Greenock Telegraph:

Mr Gallagher said: "He got himself involved in this enterprise along with a group of loosely-called associates, never previously having involved himself in any dealings or actions like this.

"He automatically becomes indebted to these others, his debt is due and at that time there are already financial pressures on him and the family.

"He had no real way of getting away from that other than effectively to comply with what he was being invited to do.

"There were pressures that were brought to bear."

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Mr Gallagher added: "His mental health was poor and this led to him becoming more involved.

"There was then a further debt owed because of the money and drugs recovered from the house and that continued to add immeasurable stress to the family.

"He acknowledges the impact that the sale and supply of drugs has on the wider community."

A Crown motion for the confiscation of the money under Proceeds of Crime Act legislation will be considered at a follow-up hearing next month.

Sheriff Varney said that MacLean's role was 'not at the lowest' end of the scale but also not at the highest.

Despite the offence reaching the custody threshold, a community payback order was imposed.

Sheriff Varney said: "The background in no way condones this behaviour.

"I am just satisfied that there is an alternative available to me."

MacLean will be supervised for 30 months and must complete 300 hours of unpaid work within a year. He has also been tagged and ordered to stay within his address between the hours of 7pm and 6am each night for 12 months.