Hashish to Ashes

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.