Illegal immigrant jailed for part in cannabis farm in Boston
AN ILLEGAL immigrant arrested after police raided a cannabis farm in Boston has been jailed for eight months at Lincoln Crown Court.
Tuan Tran was detained after officers carried out a search of a property in Brewster Road in the town.
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Lincoln Crown Court
Robert Underwood, prosecuting, said more than 60 cannabis plants were found in the upstairs bedrooms of the property.
The plants had recently been cropped and eight black sacks full of cannabis cuttings and unused leaves were found on the premises.
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Tran gave a false name but his true identity was discovered after police checked his fingerprints.
He was then linked to a second cannabis farm discovered six months earlier at a house in Woodside, Boston.
The house was unoccupied when officers entered and found 70 cannabis plants growing in bedrooms. A hydroponic system had been set up in the property to assist the growth of the cannabis and the mains electricity had been bypassed.
Tran's fingerprints were found on a light fitting but he was not traced until being arrested in December at the Brewster Road address.
Tran, 21, of no fixed address, admitted two charges of unlawful production of cannabis on June 12, 2012 and December 20, 2012.
Sacha Waxman, defending, said Tran had arrived in the UK illegally from Vietnam back in 2011 and was detained in an immigration centre for four months before being released.
She said Tran went to stay with a Vietnamese family in Hackney, East London who gave him accommodation and food in lieu of wages.
Tran was transported to the first house and spent a couple of days working there before being returned to London.
He was subsequently taken back to Boston and had been working at the Brewster Road property for 10 days when police arrived.
Miss Waxman said: "He was a gardener. He had no proprietary interest in the cannabis and was not going to benefit from its production. He has been exploited by the people he trusted."
5 Comments
by SourAlienOG
Wednesday, February 06 2013, 5:48PM
“Look at how the prohibitionists need to manipulate the voting system on the comments, giving countless red arrows, all it takes is someone with countless time on their hands and no life. How pathetic. Guess what, legal regulation is inevitable. :)”
by corban
Sunday, February 03 2013, 12:49PM
“The crime in the article above is borne directly from prohibition and perpetrated by organized criminals. Just as in the 1920s with prohibition on alcohol there is an enormous revenue stream for organized crime supplying the black market.
This black market always exists alongside prohibition and obeys the laws of supply and demand and it requires workers and this Vietnamese farmer was being exploited for cheap/slave labour. Add to this the other problems associated with unregulated dealers and you have selling to minors, cutting quality to make a profit, who knows what chemicals they add to increase yield where the only concern for the crop is how fast you can turn it into cash.
The cannabis industry requires regulation and control and brought into the economy and problems associated with the drug treated as a healthcare issue exactly as is currently done with alcohol and tobacco.
The current system is supporting organized crime. It makes criminals of people for doing no more than the equivalent of taking a drink of beer or smoking a cigarette. An end to prohibition would bring a new industry alongside tobacco and alcohol whilst being arguably safer and less addictive than either.
Whatever your stance on Cannabis the case for an end to its prohibition is compelling.
Richard S
CLEAR Media Team
CLEAR – Cannabis Law Reform”
by SourAlienOG
Friday, February 01 2013, 7:15PM
“Prohibition does not make cannabis vanish, disallowing legal regulation simply gifts the control to the only people in society willing to risk freedom for easy fast cash, criminals. See cannabis has been grown, sold and smoked for over 10,000 years non problematically. It has only become a problem since prohibition and 'reefermadnesspropaganda' indoctrinating a generation of well intentioned people.
Why is prohibition such a problem? Well, children find cannabis easier to obtain than alcohol and tobacco (dealers dont ask for ID) Children are being enticed by the gangsterism cannabis prohibition has helped create, and kids are lured into organized crime. Cannabis being illegal glamorizes it in the eyes of the young rebel. Dealers only sell the stronger strains. Dealers get involved in theft of electricity, human trafficking, gang violence. The list does go on...
Why is legal regulation the only way forward? Well its the only logical step if reducing harm and associated crime is your agenda. Education, prevention and therapy isnt just cheaper than prohibition and incarceration, its much more effective. Many lies have been told about cannabis, and the results from studies done are as schizophrenic as the average prohibitionist.
Time for a change, time to take control away from organized crime, or at least try to. Because prohibition is a ineffective, dangerous, irresponsible economically draining exercise which is undoubtedly causing more harm than good”
by nigelsparky
Friday, February 01 2013, 1:46PM
“How on earth has this "illegal immigrant" got into the country? how has he managed to get through immigration and out into the community?
Our present policy on cannabis is irrational, irresponsible and dangerous.
Think the same could be said for our immigration policy, don't you think!”
by PoetPeter
Friday, February 01 2013, 1:28PM
“Are we so stupid in Britain that we cannot learn the lessons of history? If we prohibit something for which there is huge demand then the price rises and violent criminals become involved.
If we introduced a legally regulated system we would solve nearly all the problems around cannabis. Science proves how much safer it is than tobacco, alcohol, prescription medicines and all other recreational drugs. The evidence is that where legal regulation is introduced, consumption by children and all health and social harms are reduced.
Doctors would be able to prescribe one of the most effective medicines that has no serious side effects at all. At the moment the government has given GW Pharmaceuticals an illegal monopoly on cannabis so they make millions out of a medicine that you can grow in your greenhouse for virtually nothing.
Independent, expert research also indicates that a tax and regulate policy on cannabis would produce a net gain to the UK economy of up to £9.3 billion pa.
Our present policy on cannabis is irrational, irresponsible and dangerous. On 6th November 2012 Colorado and Washington state legalised cannabis for adults, Surely, this inevitable and long overdue reform will now begin to roll out across the world?”