A Vietnamese immigrant who claimed he was kidnapped and compelled to take care of a Cumbernauld hashish farm has been jailed for 2 years.
Loc Din Tran, 48, was caught cultivating greater than 200 unlawful crops price £70,000.
The dad of two insisted that he had been kidnapped in Glasgow metropolis centre and brought to a home in Cumbernauld.
However his declare was dismissed after a House Workplace investigation.
Obtain the Lanarkshire Dwell app at present
The Lanarkshire Dwell app is obtainable to obtain now.
Get all of the information out of your space – in addition to options, leisure, sport and the newest on Lanarkshire’s restoration from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.
The free obtain options the newest breaking information and unique tales, and permits you to customise your web page to the sections that matter most to you.
Head to the App Retailer and by no means miss a beat in Lanarkshire – iOS – Android
Tran admitted producing the Class B drug in Craigieburn Highway between Might 7 and August 7 final 12 months.
Lauren Cole, prosecuting, instructed Airdrie Sheriff Court docket: “Cops went to the home after an nameless name. The home windows had been boarded up however they detected a odor of hashish and followers had been heard throughout the property.
“Entry was compelled by way of the rear door and 208 hashish crops had been recovered, with 133 of these at a mature stage of their development.
“Tran was present in an upstairs toilet. He denied involvement within the hashish cultivation and claimed he had been kidnapped in Glasgow metropolis centre and brought to the property.
“His case was referred to the House Workplace for investigation, however officers got here to the view that he was not a sufferer of human trafficking.”
Defence lawyer Roberto Manini mentioned Tran arrived in Scotland hoping to earn sufficient cash in a authentic job to permit his household to affix him right here.
Nonetheless, he has been held in Glasgow’s Barlinnie Jail since his arrest final August.
Mr Manini mentioned: “The irony of the scenario is there’s now a Vietnamese group in Barlinnie.
“He has made buddies with people in the identical scenario as he’s and has been supplied an deal with, although it is accepted there’s not likely an alternative choice to custody because of the severe nature of the offence.”
Sheriff Paul Haran quipped: “I think about the gardens in Barlinnie are nicely tended nowadays.”
Sheriff Haran minimize Tran’s jail sentence from 32 months to 2 years due to his responsible plea.
He instructed the accused: “That can run from August 9 final 12 months, which means you’re more likely to be launched in a couple of weeks. Will probably be for the House Workplace to find out any future process in relation to you remaining within the UK.”
The Scottish Jail Service declined to touch upon Barlinnie’s Vietnamese inhabitants.
*Do not miss the newest headlines from round Lanarkshire. Signal as much as our newsletters right here.
And do you know Lanarkshire Dwell had its personal app? Obtain yours at no cost right here.