Two men in Co Antrim were so disappointed with the quality of cannabis available in their area that they decided to grow their own, a court has heard.

The pair - Marcin Jarzebiak, 31, and Bartosz Czeslaw Szadkowski 38 – pleaded guilty to growing cannabis and possession of the drug, at Belfast Crown Court today, the BBC reports.

A police search on a car Mr Szadkowski was driving, and with Mr Jarzebiak on board, found a bag of cannabis. Following this the pair’s home was searched, were “police discovered a cannabis growing operation comprising of 37 plants together with associated paraphernalia.”

The men told police they were “long-term cannabis users” and explained that the quality of cannabis on offer in Carrickfergus was so low that they chose to being a “home growing operation”.

Mr Szadkowski’s lawyer told the court his client mistakenly believed Northern Ireland’s drugs laws were as liberal as those in Holland.

The court agreed that the cannabis found was “not indicative of a commercial enterprise”.

Szadkowski was sentenced to 12 months, suspended for two years, while Jarzebiak was given nine months, also suspended for two years.