{"id":3709,"date":"2019-10-15T17:03:44","date_gmt":"2019-10-15T17:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/?p=3709"},"modified":"2019-10-15T17:04:00","modified_gmt":"2019-10-15T17:04:00","slug":"how-vietnamese-drug-kingpins-run-britains-lucrative-marijuana-trade-worth-us3-2-billion-a-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/2019\/10\/15\/how-vietnamese-drug-kingpins-run-britains-lucrative-marijuana-trade-worth-us3-2-billion-a-year\/","title":{"rendered":"How Vietnamese drug kingpins run Britain\u2019s lucrative marijuana trade worth US$3.2 billion a year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>How Vietnamese drug kingpins run Britain\u2019s lucrative marijuana trade worth US$3.2 billion a yearSIGN IN\/UP<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/hong-kong\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\" class=\"\"><\/a><a 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href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/lifestyle\/travel-leisure\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/lifestyle\/family-relationships\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/lifestyle\/food-drink\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/lifestyle\/health-wellness\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/lifestyle\/entertainment\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/lifestyle\/arts-culture\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/lifestyle\/gadgets\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/magazines\/post-magazine\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/magazines\/style\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/cooking\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/better-life\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/magazines\/post-magazine\/long-reads\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/magazines\/post-magazine\/short-reads\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/magazines\/post-magazine\/design-interiors\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/magazines\/post-magazine\/food-drink\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/magazines\/post-magazine\/travel\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/magazines\/post-magazine\/books\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/magazines\/post-magazine\/arts-music\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/magazines\/post-magazine\/fashion\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/scmp-films\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/video\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/infographics\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/photos\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/podcasts\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/explained\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/newsletters\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/scmp-spotlight\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/topics\/special-reports\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/scmp-films\" class=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/asia\/southeast-asia\">Southeast Asia<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Vietnamese drug kingpins run Britain\u2019s lucrative marijuana trade worth US$3.2 billion a year<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Thousands of migrants are tricked and trafficked to work for Vietnamese bosses who have become major players in the UK weed game<\/li><li>Police have busted cannabis farms in dog kennels, pubs, an abandoned hospital and even a former nuclear bunker \u2013 many run by Vietnamese<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Published: 7:00pm, 15 Oct, 2019<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/print\/news\/asia\/southeast-asia\/article\/3032968\/how-vietnamese-drug-kingpins-run-britains-lucrative\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.i-scmp.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/1200x800\/public\/d8\/images\/methode\/2019\/10\/15\/8c4f80d4-ef08-11e9-9f3d-785f2d889e39_image_hires_141125.jpg?itok=gw9fhwn9&amp;v=1571119891\" alt=\"Cuong Nguyen, a Vietnamese cannabis convict deported from Britain. Photo: AFP\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cuong Nguyen, a Vietnamese cannabis convict deported from Britain. Photo: AFP<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Holed up alone in a suburban British house thousands of miles from home, cannabis farmer Cuong Nguyen spent months carefully nurturing his plants, one of thousands of Vietnamese migrants working in the UK\u2019s multibillion-dollar weed industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cuong \u2013 who is now 41 \u2013 slipped into Britain illegally, hidden under a lorry before going on to grow cannabis in homes, hotels and even a stable. His dangerous journey from the poor, rough Vietnamese port town of Haiphong to Britain\u2019s illegal cannabis farms was driven by big dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAll I ever wanted was to make money \u2026 whether it was legal or illegal,\u201d says Cuong, who is now back in Vietnam.ADVERTISING<a href=\"https:\/\/hp.teads.com\/?utm_source=inread&amp;utm_medium=credits&amp;utm_campaign=invented%20by%20teads\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">inRead&nbsp;invented by Teads<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/asia\/southeast-asia\/article\/3032916\/police-hunt-suspected-kingpin-massive-asian-meth-syndicate\">Suspected kingpin of massive Asian meth syndicate is China-born Canadian in \u2018same league as El Chapo\u2019<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was a criminal career steered by the Vietnamese gangsters behind the UK\u2019s huge&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/topics\/drugs\">marijuana trade<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013 which researchers value at around \u00a32.6 billion (US$3.2 billion) a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cuong claims he went to the UK willingly, looking for ready cash in a country with some of the highest weed prices anywhere in Europe. But many others \u2013 including children \u2013 are tricked and trafficked to work for the shadowy Vietnamese drug bosses who have become the unlikely kingpins of the UK weed game.ADVERTISING<a href=\"https:\/\/hp.teads.com\/?utm_source=inread&amp;utm_medium=credits&amp;utm_campaign=invented%20by%20teads\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">inRead&nbsp;invented by Teads<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The story of the self-professed hustler and low-level crook offers a unique insight into the routes taken by some Vietnamese migrants. But it also turns a spotlight on the margins in Vietnam, where criminal gangs trade on poverty and lack of opportunities to recruit new foot soldiers.SUBSCRIBE TO&nbsp;THIS WEEK IN ASIAGet updates direct to your inboxSUBMITBy registering, you agree to our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/terms-conditions\">T&amp;C<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cuong Nguyen, a Vietnamese cannabis convict deported from Britain. Photo: AFP<strong>Share:<\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Shared%20from%20South%20China%20Morning%20Post&amp;body=How%20Vietnamese%20drug%20kingpins%20run%20Britain%E2%80%99s%20lucrative%20marijuana%20trade%20worth%20US$3.2%20billion%20a%20year%0D%0Ahttps:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/asia\/southeast-asia\/article\/3032968\/how-vietnamese-drug-kingpins-run-britains-lucrative\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cuong, a former small-time crook and drug user, was 29 when he set off for the UK. It was 2008 and the cannabis trade promised riches, he says, so he paid US$15,000 to brokers for a fraudulent passport and a spot on a tour group to Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He slipped away from the tour in France and joined a well-worn migrant route to a camp in Calais where Vietnamese people smugglers arranged for him to cross the channel to Britain \u2013 under the belly of a lorry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you fall you\u2019re dead,\u201d explains Cuong, who made the overnight journey to Dover with three other Vietnamese migrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/week-asia\/politics\/article\/3032905\/philippines-police-chief-lost-moral-standing-over-ninja-cops\">Philippines police chief lost moral standing over \u2018ninja cops\u2019 scandal: critics<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Arriving in a new country and speaking no English, his options were limited, so Cuong again turned to the migrant network for help. He ended up in Bristol and worked for a man running several cannabis farms in suburban homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cuong says he had to work on his own, housebound and reliant on weekly food drops by his handlers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI got up early, ate rice and prepared feed for my plants \u2026 put them under lights for two hours and watered them,\u201d recalls Cuong, his mundane routine punctuated by fear of arrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was a common set-up: houses rented or bought in inconspicuous suburbs and converted into drug operations.Police have also busted cannabis farms in dog kennels, pubs, an abandoned hospital and even a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/world\/europe\/article\/2074011\/huge-cannabis-farm-uk-nuclear-bunker-was-staffed-trafficked\">former nuclear bunker<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013 many run by Vietnamese cashing in on Britain\u2019s penchant for puff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/world\/europe\/article\/2074011\/huge-cannabis-farm-uk-nuclear-bunker-was-staffed-trafficked\">Huge cannabis farm in UK was staffed by trafficked Vietnamese teenagers<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Around 12 per cent of all cannabis convicts in the country are&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/multimedia.scmp.com\/week-asia\/article\/2174634\/narcos-hidden-drug-trafficking\/\">Southeast Asian<\/a>, more than any other non-European nationality, a National Police Chiefs\u2019 Council shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It took six months for cops to show up in Cuong\u2019s neighbourhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Panicked, he bundled up as many plants as he could in bin bags and made a run for it. But it wasn\u2019t long before he was back in business, growing weed in a hotel near Bristol. He had earned nearly US$19,000 \u2013 a small fortune compared to salaries back home \u2013 but accuses his boss of cheating him out of thousands more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.i-scmp.com\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/methode\/2019\/10\/15\/75feb43a-ef12-11e9-9f3d-785f2d889e39_972x_141125.JPG\" alt=\"A cannabis plantation which was discovered in an underground nuclear bunker near Swindon, worth an estimated \u00a31 million. Photo: EPA\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A cannabis plantation which was discovered in an underground nuclear bunker near Swindon, worth an estimated \u00a31 million. Photo: EPA<strong>Share:<\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Shared%20from%20South%20China%20Morning%20Post&amp;body=How%20Vietnamese%20drug%20kingpins%20run%20Britain%E2%80%99s%20lucrative%20marijuana%20trade%20worth%20US$3.2%20billion%20a%20year%0D%0Ahttps:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/asia\/southeast-asia\/article\/3032968\/how-vietnamese-drug-kingpins-run-britains-lucrative\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most migrants from Vietnam come from poor central provinces. Many shoot for the UK, sending cash home which is spent on new the cars, motorbikes and home renovations. But the journey isn\u2019t cheap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smugglers charge up to US$40,000 for travel documents and a plane ticket, usually to eastern Europe where the overland trip to the UK begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some fall prey to traffickers; by the time they make it across the English Channel they are thousands of dollars in debt and forced to work in brothels, nail bars or cannabis farms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\/society\/article\/3027771\/how-china-and-other-asian-countries-are-fuelling-african-drug\">How China and other Asian nations fuel an African drug crisis<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than 3,100 Vietnamese adults and children were identified as potential trafficking victims by the UK government between 2009 and 2018, according to a report by Anti-Slavery International, ECPAT UK and Pacific Links Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cuong eventually headed to London, where he drifted for several years, selling drugs and training new weed farmers. But in 2014 he was arrested for smoking cannabis. His fingerprints tied him to the Bristol grow house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Crown Court records show he was convicted for growing cannabis and sentenced to 10 months jail. Eventually the UK Home Office deported him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He joined more than 1,600 returnees to Vietnam either by choice or by force since 2014, including at least 22 who were under the age of 14, according to Home Office data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/multimedia.scmp.com\/week-asia\/article\/2174634\/narcos-hidden-drug-trafficking\/\">Narcos: the hidden drug highways linking Asia and Latin America<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hundreds of other children have been identified as potential trafficking victims by the Home Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some are back in Vietnam in debt and at serious risk of being re-trafficked in what amounts to a \u201cmerry-go-round\u201d of crime and poverty, according to independent trafficking expert Mimi Vu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adjusting to life in Vietnam has been tough for Cuong, who returned broke and now lives in a bare house in Haiphong. But he says he is reformed and hopes to open a salon to help provide for the baby he is expecting with his new girlfriend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn the past I had to be tough and aggressive,\u201d he says. \u201cNow I have to be soft and nice.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How Vietnamese drug kingpins run Britain\u2019s lucrative marijuana trade worth US$3.2 billion a yearSIGN IN\/UPSoutheast Asia How Vietnamese drug kingpins run Britain\u2019s lucrative marijuana trade worth US$3.2 billion a year Thousands of migrants are tricked and trafficked to work for Vietnamese bosses who have become major players in the UK weed game Police have busted cannabis farms in dog kennels,&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/2019\/10\/15\/how-vietnamese-drug-kingpins-run-britains-lucrative-marijuana-trade-worth-us3-2-billion-a-year\/\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3709"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3709\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3711,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3709\/revisions\/3711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}