POLICE have scored a major breakthrough against drugs in the Medway area following a raid on a cannabis factory in the centre of Chatham. A special taskforce of 10 officers swooped on a flat in the High Street and seized 115 plants with a total street value of about £115,000.

The property had been converted into a giant greenhouse with blacked out windows and high-powered lighting to cultivate the plants which grow up to five feet. Seedlings were started off in the bathroom and transferred to the living room where they were ready to harvest within three weeks.

When police raided the flat it was empty, but two men responsible for the operation were arrested within 24 hours at different addresses in the Medway area.

Officers discovered the electricity meter had been by-passed and the entire output was running off a single socket. Det Insp Jackie Longhurst said weeks of intelligence to trap the men, both aged 36, had paid off.

She said:"This is a fantastic result for Medway police preventing a large quantity of drugs being sold in the local community. It will have a significant impact on the availability of cannabis in Medway."

After the plants mature they are cropped down to re-grow again, making the production an extremely lucrative operation. The soil-less farming is described as hydroponic using water, chemicals, lighting and humidity.

Police say as yet they do not know how far afield the drugs were sold, but are convinced there is a significant market in Medway.

Two men have appeared before Medway magistrates and admitted producing cannabis and abstracting electricity. They were remanded on bail and the case was adjourned until December 20.