A drug dealer who was rumbled when police raided his home and uncovered a £3 million cannabis farm has been jailed for four years.

Officers recovered 585kg of dried cannabis, a separate cache of 55g of cannabis and 167 cannabis plants when they searched Richard Homer’s house in Ashenhurst Road, Dudley, last August. Beside the 38-year-old’s bed they also found a shotgun and a number of cartridges as well as expensive watches and more than £5,000 worth of jewellery.

Miss Rhiannon Jones, prosecuting, told Wolverhampton Crown Court a large number of packed boxes of cannabis had been stored in the garage while there was £7,985 in a safe and another £29,000 in a bank account.

Homer, had lived in the house in Ashenhurst Road for a number of months, said Miss Jones, and it was clear it was being used to “repackage and cultivate” the controlled drug.

After his arrest Homer told police he had simply been looking after the cannabis and he maintained he played no part at all in the distribution of the drug.

Miss Jones said it was clear his role in the operation was much more than being a subordinate and added: “He was the manager with keys to the safe. He was in a trusted position looking after £3million worth of cannabis and he was obviously being paid well for his work.”

He had pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cannabis, being concerned in the production of cannabis and failure to comply with a shotgun licence at an earlier hearing.

Miss Samantha Powis, defending, said Homer, married with a young child, accepted he had been “stupid”, adding: “He did this at the behest and instigation of others.”

Judge Anwar Nawaz said: “This house was a factory set up to repackage massive quantities of cannabis. It seems to me as far as the management goes you were fairly high up in the chain to be trusted with drugs of an extremely high value.”