Trafficked, beaten, enslaved: the life of a Vietnamese cannabis farmer
The details of his case provide a rare insight into the conditions in which a significant proportion of cannabis is cultivated in the UK
The Guardian (UK)
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
At 10, ‘Stephen’ was taken from Hanoi to London and then spent four years tending plants for a brutal drug gang. Now awaiting news of an appeal against deportation, he recalls his horrific experience – and his lucky escape. He was taken to a six-room house, where every room had been emptied and converted into a cannabis-growing area. “Three people stayed for the first few days to show me how to organise everything. Then they locked the door and left me alone,” he said. By this point, he thinks he was about 12 years old. (See also: Trafficked and enslaved: the teenagers tending UK cannabis farms)
