U.K. authorities have convicted six men, including three of Vietnamese origin, for trafficking migrants and forcing them to work on cannabis farms across the country. The gang exploited victims through debt bondage, operating in the Midlands, London, and northern England, the National Crime Agency (NCA) stated Tuesday.
The network was uncovered through an NCA investigation, leading to arrests between 2021 and 2022. The probe identified the gang’s leader, Mai Van Nguyen, who controlled cannabis farms. The group leased properties using fake documents and aliases to carry out their illegal operations. According to the NCA, Nguyen is a “convicted people smuggler.”
Three Vietnamese nationals were reportedly tasked with exploiting migrant workers on the cannabis farms. Two other members, working as taxi drivers, transported migrants between properties, earning hundreds of pounds per trip, while the final member served as a middleman, handling cannabis sales and arranging property leases in Birmingham.
On occasion, they would also transport cannabis or equipment for the farms.
“Not only were the migrants transported to the U.K. in incredibly dangerous ways—by lorries or boats—but they were then made to live in degrading conditions to pay off their debt bondage. We know some were also subjected to violence,” said NCA Branch Commander Kevin Broadhead.
A Vietnamese national, identified as witness “Z”—a key individual in the case—testified that he arrived in the U.K. by boat in 2020 and was trafficked by the gang. After clearing immigration, Z was driven from London to a cannabis farm in Birmingham. Trapped in debt bondage, he said he had no choice but to work off the amount owed.
According to the NCA, Z recalled being forced to clear up a cannabis farm in Tyseley, Birmingham. Complaints about the farm’s conditions led the gang to move operations to another farm in Hartlepool. Cleveland Police raided the property in June 2021, finding a plea note that read, “Take what you want, please don’t hit me, I do not know English,” along with a diary entry stating, “Why did I get beaten up and forced to work?” During that operation, Z was arrested.
The gang members were arrested in 2021, while their leader, Nguyen—already in prison for a separate plot to smuggle migrants into the U.K.—was re-arrested in 2022 for cannabis production and trafficking offenses.
Nguyen and another gang member pleaded guilty to conspiring to produce cannabis, while the others denied the charge. All six denied charges of trafficking for exploitation.
However, the court found them guilty. They remain in custody until sentencing, which is scheduled for July.
