Crime Gangs Jailed 80 Years for UK Migrant Cannabis Farm Exploitation

Eight members of two organised crime gangs led by Mai Van Nguyen and fellow Vietnamese nationals have been jailed for nearly 80 years for forcing trafficked migrants to work in cannabis farms across the UK, including the Midlands, London, and northern England. The gangs exploited migrants brought into the country illegally, often subjecting them to degrading living conditions, violence, and debt bondage, with victims moved between properties by taxi drivers for the criminal network. Investigations by the National Crime Agency revealed the gangs operated farms in multiple locations such as Birmingham, Coventry, Derby, Hartlepool, and East Ham. Victims, including one known as 'Witness Z', described being coerced into forced labor after arriving by boat or lorry, with evidence at one farm including a plea for kindness pinned to a bedroom door and a diary entry questioning the abuse endured. The taxi drivers involved were paid to transport migrants and cannabis-related equipment, while another gang member coordinated property arrangements and drug transactions. These convictions follow major NCA investigations aimed at dismantling these exploitative networks.