Google Translate mix-up sees Sunderland drugs suspect arrested
- Published
The cannabis farm was split over three floors, police said
A suspected drug dealer inadvertently showed police a video of a cannabis farm while trying to access Google Translate on his phone.
Officers noticed "a strong smell of cannabis" when they pulled over two men in a car in Sunderland on Wednesday.
When the video began playing, the man "tried to quickly lock his phone", Northumbria Police said.
More than 600 plants were later found during a search of a property in High Street, Easington Lane.
The men, aged 38 and 22, were arrested on suspicion of the production of a Class B drug and released on police bail.
They had been travelling in a grey Mercedes when officers stopped them in the Rainton Bridge area of the city.
One of the men, whose first language was not English, then attempted to use the translation app.
Sgt Steve Passey, of Northumbria Police, described it as "a rather unusual incident" which had led to the discovery of a "sophisticated cannabis operation".
"It's safe to say the suspect was a little shocked and tried to quickly lock his phone in the hope that nobody had seen," he added.
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