A suspected drug dealer stopped by British police caught a lucky break when they found nothing in his car -- until he pulled out his phone to access a translation app and inadvertently showed officers a video of his cannabis farm.

Police in Sunderland made a routine stop of a Mercedes car and noticed a strong smell of cannabis when they interviewed its driver and passenger, Northumbria Police said in a statement on Monday.

A search of the vehicle yielded nothing suspicious, but then one of the suspects, who did not speak English, gave the game away.

"In a bid to fully understand officers, he opened up his phone to click on Google Translate," police said.

A suspected drug dealer opened Google Translate to talk to police during a routine stop and inadvertedly showed them a video of his cannabis farm
A suspected drug dealer opened Google Translate to talk to police during a routine stop and inadvertedly showed them a video of his cannabis farm AFP / YURI CORTEZ

"Much to his horror, a video appeared on his screen which showed a significant cannabis farm in operation," said Sergeant Steve Passey.

"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."

Police later raided the farm and found a "sophisticated cannabis operation" of 600 cannabis plants over three floors.

The two men were arrested on suspicion of the production of a Class B drug and were released on police bail.

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