Spy plane technology has rooted out five cannabis farms, leaving crooks on the run.
The thermal imaging cameras were originally commissioned by Harrow Council to hunt for illegal beds in sheds developments when it took to the skies in January, but officers have also managed to root out drug suppliers along the way with police taking swift action.
Conservative leader of Harrow Council Susan Hall said: "The main purpose of the thermal image flight was to give us a scale of the issue with beds in sheds developments, but an unexpected benefit has been to expose these secret suburban cannabis factories."
The spy plan exposed more than 300 suspected beds in sheds by taking pictures of the borough at 3,300ft, and the council's planning department are currently investigating.
The leader added: “This isn’t some victimless crime. This drug is clearly being cultivated on a commercial scale for sale either locally or in London.
"The people involved may be the foot soldiers of the enterprise, but they are at the base of an enterprise that is pumping drugs onto our streets. I think it is a great result for the people of Harrow that the thermal camera has caught the cannabis growers at it.”
The campaign against beds in sheds is funded by £500,000 of cash set aside by the council to tackle the problem, catching the attention of Mayor of London Boris Johnson earlier this week.
During Mayor's Question Time, he said: "I particularly want to congratulate and applaud the efforts of Councillor Susan Hall in Harrow, who has done so much to tackle some of the worst abuse by landlords who charge people for accommodation in sheds and other structures unfit for human habitation.
"Thanks to the lobbying of Susan and others we’ve got the lion’s share of the funding for London to support local authorities in tackling this issue."
