Drying cannabis plants were discovered in the attic of a church in Turnhout, in the Antwerp province, local police said on Monday.
Two suspects were arrested a few days following the discovery, with both being placed under arrest by an examining magistrate.
The president of the local church stumbled across around 200 branches of cannabis, with leaves and buds, drying in the attic of the building. The police were alerted and decided to stake out the building in order to apprehend the owners of the plants.
On Thursday evening, the police were alerted to the presence of suspicious persons around the church. Officers were dispatched to the scene and quickly found the first suspect in the attic where the plants were hanging. A second suspect was found a little later behind a wall, where he had been hiding.
The investigation revealed that the suspects had entered the attic via the roof of the church. This was also the route used by the police, with the help of the fire brigade, on the day of the incident.
The suspects are two men aged 29 and 30. They have been placed under arrest by an examining magistrate. One is on remand, while the other is under an electronic tag regime.
