Firemen Uncover 1 Million Pound/Year Cannabis Factory

[BlueMystic]

Hashish to Ashes
Author: David Taylor
Sunday Mail (UK)
Sun, 04 Jun 2006

FIREMEN UNCOVER 1 MILLION POUND CANNABIS FACTORY

STUNNED firefighters called to a blaze in a rundown flat discovered a UKP1 million-a-year drugs factory.

They found two houses knocked into one and every available inch crammed with cannabis plants.

Two kitchens, four bedrooms, four public rooms and entrance halls were all taken up with the drug.

The electricity supply had even been re-routed from the mains to power the factory in Fulbar Lane, Renfrew.

Firefighters said the blaze, sparked by a light, was confined to one room and quickly brought under control.

Dozens of high-powered lamps and other cultivating equipment were found as well as large compost grow-bags.

Electric fans had been set up to suck the strong smell of the drug through the loft window and all the walls were covered in tin foil as a crude insulator.

Police and ScottishPower were last night investigating the "industrial levels" of electricity used to run the factory.

A Scottish Power spokesman said: "We are investigating an issue with the meter, which it is understood was bypassed and the mains supply tampered with.

"Obviously this is highly dangerous."

A Strathclyde Police spokesman said: "Officers were called to the house where they found evidence of drug misuse.

"The house was empty at the time and police enquiries are ongoing."

Harvests

The 10 rooms were each stuffed with around 150 plants, worth around UKP250,000.

A farm on that scale can produce four harvests every year, bringing a total value of UKP1 million.

Both flats are listed on the Land Registry as belonging to Simon Kim Ming Tsui. He bought the upper and lower halves of the property for a total of UKP90,000 in 2003.

At the time, he lived in nearby Wilson Street.

The Sunday Mail understands the occupant listed at Fulbar Lane on the last voter's roll, Andy Cheung - is now resident there.

Some foreign magazines were found in the drug factory house.

Locals claimed last night they had no idea who owned the house, and said that no one had been spotted leaving or entering it for weeks.

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