Pair jailed over cannabis factory

The men admitted cultivating cannabis at Church Street, Dufftown

Two men caught with cannabis plants worth almost £225,000 after a huge order of compost raised suspicions have been jailed for four years.

Police were alerted after hundreds of bags arrived at Dufftown, Moray.

Illegal immigrants Chaun Yap, 26, from Malaysia, and Fang Zheng, 43, from China, admitted drug production roles.

They were each jailed for two years at the High Court in Edinburgh. Judge Lord Brailsford said they had been "easy prey" as part of a "serious crime".

I hope that the sentences will send out a clear message that we will continue to vigorously carry out activities to detect these cultivations and apprehend those involved with them Det Insp Malcolm MacLeod Grampian Police

After being alerted to local concerns about the compost, Grampian Police discovered a "large-scale cannabis cultivation" of 497 plants growing in a bedroom.

Lord Brailsford asked: "Someone had 360 bags of compost delivered to a residential property? Bit of a giveaway, isn't it?"

Zheng told police he had been watering and feeding the plants and had been told by a gang member it was "expensive grass".

He said: "I was just like a fool."

'Remain vigilant'

The court was told the basement had also been cleared and readied for a further batch of cannabis to be grown.

Grampian Police Det Insp Malcolm MacLeod, of the drug squad, said: "This was another successful enquiry by Grampian Police into large-scale cannabis cultivations.

"I hope that the sentences today will send out a clear message that we will continue to vigorously carry out activities to detect these cultivations and apprehend those involved with them.

"Our communities have played an integral part in identifying such properties to us and I would urge them to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately."