Raid on vacant six-story college building uncovers Scotland’s biggest ever cannabis haul

A raid on a former college building in Kirkcaldy has uncovered the largest cannabis cultivation found in Scotland to date.

Police raided the ex-campus at the harbour on June 18. The force on Tuesday revealed the value of the haul of plants to be almost £12 million.

Around 5,000 plants were recovered, with the estimated product weight totalling over 1,000kg.

The entrance to the former college building in Kirkcaldy which was home to a massive cannabis haul

Detective Inspector Samantha Davidson said: “This was a sizeable and highly organised cultivation – the most significant we’ve seen in Scotland – with the potential to generate a multi-million-pound return through illegal means. This recovery underlines our ongoing commitment to tackling serious organised crime through the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and the country’s Serious Organised Crime Strategy.

“We will continue to act on intelligence and use all available resources at our disposal to disrupt the production and supply of controlled drugs.

The B-listed building formed part of the town’s Nairn Campus until Fife College moved students out in 2016. It has sat empty since, apart from some business ventures on the ground floor. In 2022 a Stockport developer revealed plans to turn it into flats, but it has remained unoccupied. The jewel in its crown was to be the transformation of the six-storey tower into a single flat.”

Enquiries into the cannabis find are ongoing.