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DRUG trafficking gangs are forcing Vietnamese immigrants to work on illegal cannabis farms in Yeovil, the Western Gazette can reveal.
Police have said nearly a dozen Vietnamese immigrants have been found running cannabis factories in the town since 2011.
But while some are genuine criminal offenders, police have revealed others are “victims” being forced to live and work in drug-filled properties under the threat of violence against themselves and their families in South East Asia by gangs.
The revelations follow a raid carried out in Boundary Close this month where a cannabis farm worth more than £250,000 was unearthed.
Sergeant Rich Barnett, of Yeovil police, said the farm was cultivated and harvested by a Vietnamese immigrant who had been trafficked into the UK.
He said: “It’s a national problem that forces are having to deal with. We are finding some Vietnamese victims who have been brought into this country against their will and are being forced to work in cannabis factories.
“It’s an organised crime and the people behind it are renting houses across Yeovil.
On Friday, April 11, officers seized 198 plants from a house on Boundary Close just after 10am. Police found a 33-year-old Vietnamese man inside the property.
Officers said the unnamed immigrant had been illegally trafficked into the UK after being transported to France and smuggled over the border.
The victim was left in the hands of the Home Office Immigration Enforcement. He will not face any criminal proceedings but could face possible deportation.
In a statement on the Boundary Way raid, a Home Office spokesman said: “A 33-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of an immigration offence and later released on reporting restrictions while his case is progressed.”
Paul Bunt, drug strategy manager at Avon and Somerset Constabulary, said police are working hard to tackle cannabis production as part of Operation Viscount.
He said: “We’ve found more than 100 Vietnamese cannabis factories across the force area in the last three years and in the majority of cases we find an Asian male living in the property gardening the crops.
“The majority of these are here illegally and are offenders, but we do also find victims of human trafficking.
“Vietnamese factories can be in any building in any area. We’ve found them on industrial estates, farms, council estates and even in a ten-bedroom mansion.
“What most people don’t realise is that we’re often made aware of these factories because they have been burgled by other criminal gangs.
“Having one of these in your neighbourhood can bring other criminality with it.
“We get a lot of reports on possible cannabis factories from the public and would encourage anyone who is suspicious to get in touch.
“Whether it be that a house’s curtains are always shut or there is a suspicious smell, we want to know about it.”
A Home Office report published in 2012 revealed Vietnam was one of the most prevalent source countries for human trafficking victims, along with China, Romania and Slovakia.
EXCLUSIVE: Drug trafficking gangs forcing Vietnamese immigrants to work on Yeovil cannabis farms
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