Rio Ferdinand suffered an embarrassment when police seized 29 bags of cannabis drugu00a0from his restaurant.

Police dogs sniffed out the haul in a dramatic daylight raid at the footballer's swanky Italian Rosso in Manchester. Officers broke into a locker and found snap-seal bags filled with the drug.

Police are now said to be hunting a chef who used to work there and are investigating whether drug dealing took place at the restaurant. "There was a warrant out for the arrest of someone connected to the restaurant," the Daily Star quoted a police source as saying.

"There's now reason to believe he used a staff locker to stash drugs with the intention of dealing them," the source said. Although there is no suggestion that the Man United defender knew anything of the drugs stash he and his staff are likely to be quizzed.

It's another embarrassing blow for Ferdinand, who invested millions in the plush eaterie in 2009. The celeb haunt is popular with A-listers like David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, model Elle Macpherson and comedian James Corden.

But it is already reeling after being beaten by a hot dog stand in a hygiene league, scoring a generally satisfactory three out of five in a council cleanliness inspection. "I'm sure Rio could do without it all but it's his name on the place so he'll be dragged into it," a source said.