[420 Girl]

GARDAI are mounting early-morning patrols in search of frost-free roofs to detect cannabis factories concealed in attics.

In the past two months several cannabis farms, some with up to 700 plants, have been found during heavy frosts. Conditions needed to grow the plants are so hot that ice melts from roofs.

In Northern Ireland the PSNI has uncovered more than 100 “dope” factories, with £15m of drugs seized. A total of 72 people from southeast Asia have so far been charged by the PSNI, with detectives investigating possible connections to Chinese and Vietnamese gangs exporting to Britain.

In the south, cannabis factories are being uncovered on a weekly basis by gardai in suburban estates, on remote farms and in warehouses.

The security forces can also use thermal imaging equipment on helicopters and patrol cars to detect unusually warm buildings.

High electricity consumption can betray the presence of a cannabis factory, too. Some gangs have bypassed meters to disguise what they are doing.

Gardai say criminal gangs are setting up “dope” farms throughout the republic in unprecedented numbers. This year operations have been discovered in Dublin, Meath, Mayo, Roscommon, Longford and Monaghan. Some had hundreds of plants.

Detectives believe the seizures on both sides of the borders are a fraction of what is being produced.

A study by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs found 16% of all cannabis used in the republic and Northern Ireland is produced domestically. Gardai believe the true figure is higher and predict that home-grown cannabis, more potent than traditional forms, will soon replace cannabis resin smuggled from north Africa and Asia.

Home-grown cannabis made up just 15% of seizures in England and Wales six years ago but now accounts for 70%-80% of all hauls. The trend is expected to be replicated in Ireland.

Many gardai believe criminals have turned to domestic production because if caught they face comparatively light sentences compared with those for drug smuggling.

“If you are caught with plants, an impression is created that it’s somehow for personal use,” said one garda. “But cannabis farming is a lucrative business.”

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