Cannabis factory discovered in Highland police officer's home.
By Charles Lavery

DRUG squad police busted a £1million-a-year cannabis factory - then found the landlord was a fellow cop.

The drug farm was found in the picturesque Highland house owned by Constable Neil Bremnar.

He works 90 miles away in Gairloch - on a Wester Ross beat like TV's dope-smoking cop Hamish Macbeth.

Bremnar told bosses he had rented his house out to Chinese tenants. The stone cottage in Dornoch, Sutherland, was targeted during a wave of raids on gangs who turn family homes into cannabis farms.

Northern Constabulary said: "We are aware it was owned by a serving police constable. This underlines the fact nobody is immune from this sort of activity."

Chinese man Jing Hai Zeng, 27, of Glasgow, has appeared in court charged with growing cannabis.

He and You Guang Yu, 38, were also arrested in connection with a second raid on a property in Fearn, Ross-shire.

Zeng was also charged with stealing a van. The cases have been deserted but the Crown are due to re-indict both men.

Last week, the force set up a special task force to tackle cannabis growth in the Highlands.

Since June, police have raided five rented residential properties where the drug was harvested, leading to nine arrests.

All properties were being leased out by the owners.

DCI Peter MacPhee, leading the task force, claimed each farm could be reaping £1million a year for organised criminals.

He added: "The geography of the Highlands makes it a target.

"The remoteness of the area is the perfect condition for the drug's cultivation.

"They select properties where their activities can go unnoticed.

But I am confident that we will win the war here in the Highlands.

"They are harvesting vast quantities of herbal cannabis for onward supply throughout the country and further.

"The plants I have seen are of a high quality and you can gain a profit or yield of £300 per plant.

"In one location we had more than 1000 plants, so you can see the potential.

"To cultivate a crop, from seedling to harvest, drying out and packaging can take 15-20 weeks, so you could have at least three harvests a year.

"When you consider the initial outlay is about £12-£15,000 in set-up costs, plus rental, then the profit is high."

If a factory was producing 1000 plants three times a year, it would yield more than £900,000.

DCI MacPhee added: "Landlords or letting agents should check premises regularly. I'd also appeal to neighbours or postmen to be vigilant."

DCI MacPhee added: "Landlords or letting agents should check premises regularly. I'd also appeal to neighbours or postmen to be vigilant."