Traffickers Who Forced Migrants into UK Cannabis Farms Jailed for Exploitation and Organized Crime

A criminal gang that trafficked vulnerable migrants into the United Kingdom and forced them to work in squalid cannabis farms has been dismantled after six members were handed lengthy prison sentences in Birmingham. The network, led by 35-year-old Mai Van Nguyen, exploited mainly Vietnamese nationals who were smuggled into the UK in lorries and small boats. These individuals were subjected to physical abuse, debt bondage, and degrading conditions as they were moved around a chain of cannabis-growing sites across the country.

Nguyen, operating out of Birmingham, ran the illicit enterprise with the help of co-conspirators Doung Dinh and Nghia Dinh Tran. Together, they coordinated the exploitation of trafficked migrants, forcing them to cultivate cannabis in locations that stretched from the West Midlands to the North East and London. The gang used taxi drivers—identified as Shamraiz Akhtar and Tasawar Hussain—to transport victims and criminal paraphernalia between properties. They were paid hundreds of pounds per journey to shuttle the migrants, cannabis, and cultivation equipment.

Another associate, Amjad Nawaz, was responsible for securing the properties used to grow and distribute drugs. These included houses and commercial buildings in Tipton, Edgbaston, Coventry, Derby, Hartlepool, East Ham, and Gatley. During one raid in June 2021, officers discovered a harrowing note left by a migrant victim inside a cannabis farm in Hartlepool. The handwritten message pleaded for mercy in broken English: “Take what you want, please don’t hit me, I do not know English.” A diary entry found on-site also detailed beatings and forced labor, painting a grim picture of the gang’s abuse and control.

Though Nguyen and Tran admitted to conspiring to produce cannabis, all six gang members denied trafficking charges. After a seven-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court, however, they were all convicted on both counts. The court imposed the following sentences: Nguyen received 15 years; Dinh was jailed for 14 years; Tran received 11 years and six months; Nawaz was sentenced to 12 years; Akhtar to 10 years and six months; and Hussain to 10 years.

In a related case heard at the same court, two members of another organized crime group were also sentenced. Roman Le, 37, is accused of leading a separate operation involving at least eight cannabis farms. Le secured properties—sometimes posing as a property developer—using them to house large-scale cultivation sites, including a former pub in Birmingham, a disused nightclub in Coventry, and an old hotel in Lancashire. These sites were capable of generating millions in illegal profits.

His co-defendants, Yihao Feng of Manchester and David Qayumi of Birmingham, helped manage the farms. Feng was sentenced to three years and two months in prison, while Qayumi received three years and four months. Le’s sentencing is scheduled for July 30.

The National Crime Agency (NCA), which led the investigation, highlighted the gang’s use of violence and fear to maintain control over the trafficked workers. Victims were not only denied basic rights but also lived under constant threat of harm, all while enriching an organized criminal enterprise. Authorities say the prosecutions mark a significant step in tackling human trafficking and modern slavery linked to drug production in the UK.