A FAILED asylum seeker who had thousands of pounds worth of cannabis to sell on the streets of Swindon has walked free from court.

Saman Madmodnam had more than a kilogram of the drug, much of it packaged in single deals, as well as scales and packing.

But despite the 24-year-old Iranian being convicted of possessing the drug with intent to supply following a trial a judge decided not to jail him.

Madmodnam was arrested when police raided the Rodbourne home he was sharing with Sherwen Nabi on Tuesday April 12, 2012.

When they got on the landing officers could detect the stretch of drugs coming from the lodger's room.

After going inside they found more than 400 grams of cannabis leaf, much of it packaged and ready to sell, along with the paraphernalia.

And in the shed outside the property they found more of the drugs bringing the total haul to 1.3kg with a street value of up to £6,000.

Although Madmodnam pleaded not guilty to the charge he was convicted following a trial and now admitted what he was doing.

George Threlfall, defending, said he took up the offer from Nabi to live at his home and claimed he had put him up to drug dealing.

"He contends when he took up the co-defendants offer to live in his house there was an understanding that he would sell cannabis," he said.

"There were two mobiles found, both were examined, they revealed no evidence of drug dealing which supports the contention that this hadn't got underway to any extent.

"But there was a large quantity of cannabis there waiting to be sold in due course."

He said that all the cannabis was found in his room because his landlord had taken him in to sell the drugs.

"This was a man who at the time was destitute and homeless," he said.

"It is pretty clear he has been put up to selling cannabis by another. There was a large amount of cannabis found in the garden shed which Mr Madmodnam said he knew nothing about.

He said his client came to the UK as a 16-year-old in April 2007 and was given permission to stay until he was 18.

"He has overstayed. He has made an application for asylum, that has initially been refused," he said.

"He has been allowed to reapply. That is presently being considered by the Home Office. Until his conviction before this court he had not been before any court in this country."

He said during the time he had been in this country he had not been allowed to work and received £35 of food vouchers each week to survive on.

Tony Bignall, for Nabi, said his client had been cleared of possessing drugs with intent to supply but convicted of allowing his premises to be used for dealing.

He said all he knew about was the cannabis in the shed and he couldn't smell the drugs in the house because he had undergone an operation on his nose.

Nabi had not been involved in the trade in drugs, he said, and the Crown had always put their case as the co-defendant being the dealer.

Madmodnam, of Manchester Road, was convicted of possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

Nabi, of Birch Street, was cleared of that charged but convicted of allowing the premises to be used for dealing.

Passing sentence Judge Tim Mousley QC said: "This indicated street dealing and you Madmodnam were dealing in quantities with bags and scales and the like which indicated that you were reasonably up the supply chain in the sense that you were not just someone provided with a few street deals to sell on."

But adding 'these offences are somewhat old now and there has been no repetition' he imposed a one-year jail term suspended for 18 months with 200 hours of unpaid work.

Nabi was put on a four-month suspended sentence with 150 hours of unpaid work.