More than 150 cannabis plants were found in a house in Leeds – just days before they would have hit the streets.
The plants were discovered hanging to dry from the ceiling of a bedroom in the terraced property in Beeston.
They were in the final stages of being prepared to be shipped out to be sold, with a potential street value of thousands of pounds.
Sgt Diane Whiteside, of Holbeck Neighbourhood Policing Team, said it was highly unusual for police to discover cannabis at this stage of development.
She said: “When we find them, it tends to be in the growing stage, so this was a very unusual one.
“I’ve been in the police for 10 years and this is the first time I’ve seen a cannabis farm in this state.
“There is a two to three-day period when it is being hung to dry like this. It would have been going out in the next few days, so it’s a good job we got there.”
The factory was found after a member of the public reported a suspected break-in at the property on Longroyd Place on Tuesday evening.
After getting into the three-storey property, officers found a sophisticated growing operation on the top floor.
The rest of the property was “well maintained” as a home, Sgt Whiteside said.
She added: “All the lights, metal and heating equipment has been stripped out and will be destroyed.”
The drugs will be forensically tested before being destroyed.
Enquiries into who was running the farm are ongoing.
Sgt Whiteside said increasing numbers of cannabis farms were being discovered – but said police were getting better at finding them.
She added: “I don’t think there are more of them, I just think that people aren’t prepared to put up with it as much now and are more willing to report it.”
She said people should look out for giveaway signs like unusual comings and goings and smells from suspicious houses.