Construction workers jailed over cannabis factory

The operation was discovered by police in January

Two Vietnamese nationals have been jailed, after police raided a Bradford cannabis factory containing drugs worth up to £1.2m.

Giap Chi Le and An Van Tran, both 38, were each sentenced to 20 months in prison, after admitting to their involvement in the operation based at a property on Lumb Lane.

Bradford Crown Court heard how the two construction workers were found looking "scared and shaken" after officers managed to force entry into the locked site on 22 January this year.

A total of 1,180 plants were being grown in several rooms and the electricity supply to the house had been bypassed, the court was told.

Prosecutor Mollie Briggs said, following their arrests, Le and Tran claimed others had "forced" them into working at the premises.

They said they had been engaged in construction work elsewhere in the country and two Chinese males had offered them work in Bradford.

Miss Brigss said the pair had told officers "they were locked inside and forced to look after the plants".

'Lesser role'

An analysis of the potential crop suggested it could have been worth about £434,000, if sold in bulk.

However, if its worth was calculated in terms of street deals, the value of the 124kg yield was estimated to be approximately £1,239,000.

Barristers for the two defendants conceded they had no defence to the charge of producing cannabis, but maintained they had been exploited and became involved through pressure and coercion from others.

Sentencing the pair, Recorder Abdul Iqbal said: "I am satisfied that each of you played a lesser role in what was a very large operation.

But he added: "It's plain that this operation would, on one view, be capable of producing industrial quantities of cannabis."

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