VIETNAMESE MIGRANTS CLAIM MODERN SLAVERY, COURT TOLD
Four Vietnamese migrants arrested at a cannabis drug factory in Hampton Hill will claim they were victims of modern slavery, Kingston Crown Court was told today.
The three men and a teenage boy will say they were working under duress to produce the drug at an empty office building in an affluent London suburb.
Photographs released by police following a raid last month show over 1,500 cannabis plants, heat lamps and metal ducting used in the mass production of the drug.
Hung Le,30, Anh Tian,23, Nam Phan,44 and a 17-year-old boy all pleaded not guilty to jointly producing a controlled class B drug when they appeared at Kingston Crown Court.
An earlier hearing was told the teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, did not have a passport and was undocumented.
He was accompanied to court by a social worker and is on bail.
The three adults are of no fixed address and have been in custody since their arrest.
Prosecutor Jordan Platt said all four were arrested at the cannabis factory in Hampton Hill, Middlesex.
Local neighbourhood police officers had been tipped off about the factory by concerned neighbours.
The three adults and teen entered a plea of not guilty through a Vietnamese interpreter.
The judge Mr Bryant-Heron KC said: ‘As I understand it the issue is to be modern slavery and working under duress.
‘I take it as read that modern slavery is going to be run as a defence.’
Barrister’s acting for the men agreed with the judge who said a trial would likely last two weeks.
Police from the Richmond Safer Neighbourhood team issued photos of the drug bust and used their Twitter page to acknowledge the tip off writing: ‘Residents thank you very much. Please keep sending us the information for quick results.’
The three men were remanded in custody until their trial while the teenager was granted bail.
Judge Bryant-Heron set a trial date for April 7th 2025.