Six men convicted of trafficking migrants and forcing them to work on illegal cannabis farms across the UK.
The gang ran illegal sites. They operated in different areas. These areas were Teesside, the Midlands, and London. The gang used fake IDs. They leased properties with them. The NCA investigated this situation.
Mai Van Nguyen was the leader. He smuggled people before. He worked with Nghia Dinh Tran. Doung Dinh also worked with him. A victim testified in court. They called him Witness Z. He was exploited after arriving by boat. This happened in 2020.
Witness Z wanted medical help for his wife. He traveled to the UK. He needed to pay off debt. Traffickers forced him to work. After immigration, he moved to a cannabis farm. He later worked in Birmingham and Hartlepool.
Police raided a property in Teesside. This happened in June 2021. They arrested Witness Z there. He left a note on the door. The note read “Don’t hit me.” It also said, “I don’t speak English.” His diary asked why they beat him for work.
Shamraiz Akhtar and Tasawar Hussain were taxi drivers. They transported migrants. They moved cannabis as well. They also moved equipment. They got paid hundreds of pounds. These payments were for each job they completed.
Amjad Nawaz was a middleman. He talked to Nguyen often. They discussed the operations. They frequently contacted each other. Nguyen and Tran admitted producing cannabis. The others denied this accusation.
All six denied trafficking charges at first. The court found them guilty. This was on February 24th. Kevin Broadhead says they exploited migrants. They forced them to work on cannabis farms.
Migrants came by lorry or boat. The trips were dangerous. They lived in bad conditions. They had to pay back debt. Some migrants faced awful violence. The gang only cared about money. The men will receive their sentencing on July 4.