An illegal Vietnamese immigrant who speaks no English has been sent to prison for two years for being the “gardener” in a drugs factory in a Dunfermline house that stored 300 cannabis plants.
Tuan Hoang (25), c/o Perth Prison, was the victim of people traffickers that he contacted after the death of his parents when he was 16.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard he was promised a “new life” in the UK, sold his house in Vietnam for $18,000 and travelled across Europe to the UK in a container lorry.
Once in this country, Hoang was treated badly by the people traffickers and was moved from address to address daily, before being placed in the house in west Fife.
Hoang admitted that on March 12, at Kyle Crescent, he produced a controlled drug, namely cannabis.
He tended to the 300 plants worth up to £83,000 in return for food and cigarettes.
Sheriff Ian Dunbar said Hoang had fallen “under the influence” of people traffickers from China and eastern Europe and called the case “tragic.”
Hoang was only paid once £140 before police swooped on the property and discovered the drug factory, which was spread all over one floor of the building.
Depute fiscal Vilhelmina Poppius told the court that police officers received information regarding the property and obtained a search warrant.
She said, “At 8.15am officers went to the house and gained entry.
“They discovered that the entire first floor was used as a cannabis factory.”
She added, “The accused was found hiding in a barrel in a cupboard.
“It became apparent that he could not speak any English but that he knew the men were police officers.”
The court heard officers found the 300 cannabis plants and seized other drug items.
Miss Poppius said the electricity meter had been tampered with, with additional wiring installed.
She said Hoang told the police, with the aid of an interpreter, that he only received the one payment as officers raided the house within two weeks of his stay there.
She said Hoang told officers he did not even know where Dunfermline was.
Brian Tait, solicitor for Hoang, said that his client’s parents had died in an accident when he was aged 16.
He said, “My client, who is an illegal immigrant, worked as a handyman in Vietnam and sold his house for $18,000.
“He got in contact with people who promised a better life.”
He added, “However, once in the UK it became apparent that this employment would not come to fruition.
“The people who had brought him to the UK treated him roughly.
“He was moved to different addresses on a daily basis by a group of people from China and eastern Europe.”
Mr Tait told the court that Hoang was then taken to the Kyle Crescent property, which had been rented by a Vietnamese man called Jay.
He said, “There was correspondence addressed to Jay in the house and the rent had been paid up front.
“All the things needed for the drugs factory had been set up and the cannabis plants were already growing.”
He added, “My client told me that cannabis is not a common drug in Vietnam.
“My client, who does not speak any English, told officers through an interpreter that he was to tend the drugs and carry out tasks in return for a ration of food and imported cigarettes-he was effectively the gardener.
“He was threatened with violence if he didn’t participate in this venture.”
Mr Tait said, “The reason he hid in a barrel is that he was frightened when the police came into the house.”
Sheriff Dunbar said, “This is the tragic consequence of people trafficking on someone who fell under the influence of them.
“It is becoming a common occurrence in places like Vietnam on people who want to come abroad to get a better life.”
He added, “I take into account all the circumstances of this case but this is a serious matter which is a major problem in this country.”
Hoang’s two-year sentence was backdated to March 15, and Sheriff Dunbar said that he would recommend Hoang be deported once he leaves prison.