POLICE searching a large warehouse unit in Kent found a massive cannabis factory, a crown court judge was told.

The yield from the thousands of plants at the premises in Ramsgate could have netted the growers more than £1million from the three possible crops a year.

Officers arrested Stephen Rochester, 60, of Cliffsend Grove, Ramsgate, and Dennis Murphy, 40, from London.

At Canterbury Crown Court, the pair admitted cultivating cannabis plants between January 1, 2005 and May 7, 2006. Both were bailed for reports and will be sentenced in April.

Oliver Saxby, prosecuting, said police went to the unit on May 8 and found 4,679 plants. Had they reached maturity, he said, the yield could have been 64kg of leaf material and 85kg from the flower heads.

He went on: "Rochester, in interview, seemed to have some knowledge of the cannabis factory business and told police it was one of the biggest there was nationwide because he had been working at a smaller cannabis plant prior to working here so he had some means to compare."

There were six growing rooms, drying and cutting rooms, warehouse area and living quarters with hydroponic set-up.

Street value of the crop was between £127,500 and £212,000 and the street price £358,000.

The warehouse had been rented in January 2005 by someone called Golden using a mobile phone registered to Rochester. He had rented a couple of houses in Ramsgate paying £750 a month then £1,500 a month, always paying the rent promptly and in cash. The unit's quarterly rent was almost £15,000 a quarter.

Rochester had a significant role and brought expertise to the operation, said Mr Saxby. Murphy's prints were found on various items in the property.

Both men had convictions. Asking for a report, Eleanor Laws, for Rochester, said he was a carer for three children and he hadn't offended for 23 years.

Julia Faure-Walker, for Murphy, said his involvement was on the periphery.