A BARNSLEY man who was found with more than £20,000 worth of cannabis has been jailed for 12 months - more than two years after he was first arrested.

Michael Whitehead, 26, of Lister Row in Great Houghton, appeared at Sheffield Crown Court last week for sentencing after officers gained entry to his former property on Doncaster Road in Darfield in 2021.

Officers received intelligence that the property was being used to grow cannabis.

Officers attended and Whitehead failed to answer the door.

They knew that if they left the property, the evidence they could see through the windows would have been removed and destroyed so officers used powers to gain entry to the property.

A police spokesperson said: “Once inside it was clear the electricity had been bypassed, and we found a cultivation, with a total of 22 plants.

“Each plant has an estimated £1,000 street value - that’s a significant amount of cash in the wrong hands to cause fear and harm.

“When electricity is bypassed, it poses a huge fire risk to the property and those living nearby.

“This was made safe before officers left the scene.

“Whitehead was charged with cultivation of a class B drug.

“He appeared before court on Friday and was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

“We will continue our efforts into disrupting the supply chain and creating safer neighbourhoods.”