NANJING, June 1 -- An Australian man living in Changshu City of east China's Jiangsu Province has been repatriated after police caught him growing cannabis plants in his home.

Police in Changshu said on Monday that David Robert ancel Green, 34, had lived in the city for 14 years. Upon receiving public tip-offs in late May, police raided his house and found he had turned his attic into a greenhouse for potted cannabis.

Green told police he had purchased cannabis seeds from the Netherlands and Shanghai and planted them in flower pots to supply himself with the drug.

It is illegal to grow and possess marijuana in China. Police detained Green for 13 days before repatriating him.