A squad of police officers who raided a family home in search of a cannabis factory were suitably red-faced when they unearthed nothing but TOMATO plants.
James Diamond woke to find a burly policeman in his bedroom telling him they were about to 'take apart' his supposed drugs factory.
But their search proved fruitless when they found nothing more sinister than three tomato plants growing in his back garden, and the embarrassed crime fighters left empty-handed.
Yesterday Mr Diamond, a 34-year-old father of two, said he was fast asleep when the 15-member drugs squad burst into his home in Bream, Gloucestershire.
He said: 'It was very frightening. I woke up to see a huge policeman standing in my bedroom and he said: "We are here to take your cannabis factory apart."
'There were officers all over the house and in the back garden and they said that no one was allowed to leave the house.'
Mr Diamond, who works at a garden centre, had just returned from a family holiday in Turkey and was still asleep upstairs along with his three-year-old son Syrus.
He was informed that officers were executing a search warrant 'as a result of information from the local neighbourhood'.
Mr Diamond, who says he has never been in trouble with the police, and lives with his fiancee Debbie Baker, an NHS chiropodist, added: 'It's shocking to me that someone can just ring up the police and that justifies them getting a warrant and searching your home.
'It was scary for Syrus, who got quite upset when he saw police everywhere.'
The police, who were let into the home just after 10:30am on Wednesday morning by electricians who were re-wiring at the property, later admitted that they had been given incorrect information.
Inspector Chris Thorley, of Gloucestershire police, said: 'We executed a search warrant at an address in Bream as a result of information received from the local neighbourhood.
'No drugs were found but would like to stress that we take such action because we know that concerns about drug crime is something people like us to address swiftly.'
A simultaneous raid carried out by police at a home in Clearwell, three miles away, resulted in the seizure of 75 cannabis plants. A 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drug cultivation.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Mail Online
Author: Luke Salkeld
Contact: Mail Online
Copyright: 2010 Associated Newspapers Ltd
Website: Police drug busters red-faced as cannabis raid uncovers nothing more than ... three tomato plants
James Diamond woke to find a burly policeman in his bedroom telling him they were about to 'take apart' his supposed drugs factory.
But their search proved fruitless when they found nothing more sinister than three tomato plants growing in his back garden, and the embarrassed crime fighters left empty-handed.
Yesterday Mr Diamond, a 34-year-old father of two, said he was fast asleep when the 15-member drugs squad burst into his home in Bream, Gloucestershire.
He said: 'It was very frightening. I woke up to see a huge policeman standing in my bedroom and he said: "We are here to take your cannabis factory apart."
'There were officers all over the house and in the back garden and they said that no one was allowed to leave the house.'
Mr Diamond, who works at a garden centre, had just returned from a family holiday in Turkey and was still asleep upstairs along with his three-year-old son Syrus.
He was informed that officers were executing a search warrant 'as a result of information from the local neighbourhood'.
Mr Diamond, who says he has never been in trouble with the police, and lives with his fiancee Debbie Baker, an NHS chiropodist, added: 'It's shocking to me that someone can just ring up the police and that justifies them getting a warrant and searching your home.
'It was scary for Syrus, who got quite upset when he saw police everywhere.'
The police, who were let into the home just after 10:30am on Wednesday morning by electricians who were re-wiring at the property, later admitted that they had been given incorrect information.
Inspector Chris Thorley, of Gloucestershire police, said: 'We executed a search warrant at an address in Bream as a result of information received from the local neighbourhood.
'No drugs were found but would like to stress that we take such action because we know that concerns about drug crime is something people like us to address swiftly.'
A simultaneous raid carried out by police at a home in Clearwell, three miles away, resulted in the seizure of 75 cannabis plants. A 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drug cultivation.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Mail Online
Author: Luke Salkeld
Contact: Mail Online
Copyright: 2010 Associated Newspapers Ltd
Website: Police drug busters red-faced as cannabis raid uncovers nothing more than ... three tomato plants
