Pair deny charges over house allegedly used as drug factory

A house in Cowdenbeath was converted into an £80,000 cannabis factory, prosecutors claim.

Two men are facing drugs charges after police searched the house in Bowling Green Street Cowdenbeath on Wednesday.

Mariusz Osko, 41, and 40-year-old Rafal Wachholz, both of no fixed abode, were arrested and charged in connection with the discovery and have appeared on petition at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

Prosecutors allege the pair produced a controlled drug with intent to supply, and have also been concerned in the supply of a controlled drug from the address in Bowling Green Street.

Neither Osko and Wachholz entered a plea during a brief court appearance in private and the case was continued for further examination.

They were both remanded in custody pending a second appearance within the next eight days.

There have been renewed fears about the scale of Fife’s illicit drugs trade after Operation Prospect, Police Scotland’s campaign to tackle the issue was stepped up in the region in recent weeks.

This week’s raid comes just a matter of weeks after police on routine patrols in Kirkcaldy uncovered a large stash of cannabis with an estimated street value of £150,000 inside a vehicle.

Officers found the drugs after stopping a black Vauxhall Insignia in Strathkinness Road at around lunchtime on May 26. The vehicle’s two occupants fled the scene and are believed to still be on the run.

Inspector Stephen Kay, from Police Scotland, urged members of the public to continue helping the force tackle drug crime, with all intelligence received taken seriously.

He said: “Our communities have told us that tackling drug crime remains a priority, and we continue to use all resources at our disposal to disrupt the sale and supply of illicit substances.

“We will not allow people to profit from putting others’ lives at risk and from causing disruption and concern to the community.”