A group of novice pot growers in County Donegal, Ireland, thought they could make some "easy" money; so they bought all the equipment to run a grow op, but what they should have done was bought a book on horticulture - male plants do not produce enough of the chemical THC, but they sure are pretty.

The plants were so inert that Gardai (Irish Police) had to downgrade the bust from €120,000 ($160k USD) – to nothing.

The Independent, reports that detectives were delighted when 150 plants were found hidden in two grow houses at the rear of a home in rural Co Donegal.

Officers found the blooming plants up a lane near the village of Kilmacrennan.

But those behind the operation hadn't done their homework. All the plants were male.

Male plants are usually dumped early into the cultivation process because they don't contain any of the chemicals which give the user the 'high'.

It now means gardai have had to downgrade the value of the seizure from €120,000 – to nothing. "There wasn't enough cannabis leaf for a single joint," one source revealed.

Some of the plants may have taken up to a year to grow.

Gardai seized various equipment including heat lamps, gardening tools and boxes of the fertilizer Miracle-Gro.

However, those behind the operation may have spared themselves some time behind bars. Anyone found with €120,000 of cannabis can expect to get seven years in prison - but not these guys, and I am sure this is the BEST mistake they have ever made in their lives.