Alfred Dodkins: Ganja-growing granddad grew dope in back yard
“I enjoy it”: A 72-year-old took up ‘gardening’ with gusto, turning his hand to cultivating cannabis to sell to his bud-loving buddies.
South East
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A Rye grandfather nabbed with a swag of mature marijuana plants in his backyard also admitted dealing the drug to make a bit of extra coin.
Alfred Dodkins was caught with herbs of varying sizes in his house and garden after a drug raid by cops earlier this year.
The 72-year-old retiree openly admitted having the dope set up, and revealed text messages on his phone showing he was selling it to friends for spare change.
He pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and cultivation charges at Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
The court heard on March 16 police raided Dodkins’ Rye home after a tip-off cannabis was being grown there.
In the bedrooms they found 23 small plants and several containers full of seeds.
In the rear yard they dug up 14 mature plants and hidden in the spare wheel well of his car they uncovered a 25g bag of cannabis.
When Dodkins was arrested he was open and frank with drug squad detectives, telling them about the dealing messages on his phone and the reasons why he cultivated cannabis.
He said he had been growing for the past year and “I enjoy it, it gives me something to do”.
He said he had been selling small amounts to “friends and associates”, but “I don’t make much money from it”.
Defence lawyer Bernie Balmer said Dodkins had had open-heart surgery and turned to smoking the drug to self-medicate.
He said he “didn’t realise how serious it was” and due to debts from his collapsed business he was still paying off he was only “scraping by” financially.
He said he would struggle to do community work due to his age and health situation, and requested a fine as a penalty.
Magistrate Timothy Gattuso said while it was not a particularly sophisticated set-up, the weight involved was large and “halfway to a commercial quantity”.
He said it was “unwise” for Dodkins, with his age and heart complaints, to be smoking anything anyway.
He said any future trafficking or cultivating offending would mean only one thing.
“If you repeat this then expect a term of imprisonment,” Mr Gattuso said.
“There certainly are people of your age in custody.
“I’m sure that’s not how you want to be spending the later period of your life.”
Dodkins was convicted and fined $3500.
