Now the Association of Chief Police Officers – which originally backed the Government’s move – wants its Class B status restored. It claims the reclassification sent out the wrong message to organised criminals.

Tim Hollis, chairman of Acpo’s drugs committee, said: “Some people are now targeting the UK as a potential place to produce cannabis.”

His comments came as 12 illegal immigrants linked to a network of drugs factories producing £1.5million of cannabis started jail terms totalling more than 27 years.

The Vietnamese gang of 10 men, a pregnant woman and a 17-year-old boy helped grow powerful “skunk” plants at indoor farms at eight locat-ions across the North-east of England.

Ten of the defendants were arrested when a house described as the gang’s “barracks” was raided in the village of Ushaw Moor, near Durham.

All 12 admitted conspiring to produce cannabis when they appeared at Teesside Crown Court.
In mitigation, defence barristers said their clients were just the “gardeners” responsible for tending the plants and had been exploited by gang members who had promised them work in restaurants and hotels.

Acpo will give evidence relating to its new position to the Advisory Cou-ncil on the Misuse of Drugs, which will report to the Home Office this spring.