“We received reports from a local factory of a strong smell of cannabis permeating through the building. It transpires it was being taken in via air-conditioning systems.”
Police in the U.K. were called after the smell of cannabis was brought inside a local factory by linked air-conditioning units.
Officers went to the factory’s rooftop and were able to determine where the smells were coming from by a “process of deduction,” eventually seizing about £200,000 ($350,000) worth of cannabis from two nearby properties, reports Yorkshire Live.
The bust was part of a string of arrests in the area over the last week, with officers seizing just under £1 million ($1,741,402) worth of cannabis.
“I appreciate some may not be so appreciative of such seizures, but it really does cause problems in an area with rivals pushing for the upper hand, anti-social behaviour, theft of electricity that others have to pay for,” the spokesperson said, adding that police will be following up on “forensic leads” and contacting landlords.
Earlier this year, police in Scotland busted a $1 million illegal grow-op after the smell of weed and sound of fans led them to inspect a warehouse.
Inside, they found more than 1,000 plants and a sophisticated growing operation valued at £600,000 ($1 million).
Last month, another officer with a strong sense of smell found a 450-plant grow while out on patrol due to the scent.
The grow was discovered in a vacant apartment that had been retrofitted to accommodate a “large-scale farm,” according to police.
“Thanks to the officers sniffing out the location, the streets of Litherland are a safer place to be,” they added.