FACTORY FARMING | 

Cannabis factory on Down farm producing income of £200k per month, court told

Officers seized 700 cannabis plants inside an agricultural shed said to have been converted into a large, sophisticated factory.

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A sophisticated cannabis factory installed at a Co Down farmyard was producing a monthly income of £200,000, the High Court has heard.

Prosecutors said it was run by a generator which could provide enough power for 10 houses and fitted with a separate entertainment area for two alleged gardeners living in the facilities.

Details emerged as Vietnamese nationals Quy Nguyen, 39, and Anh Nguyen, 35, were refused bail.

Both men claim they are victims of human trafficking who were put to work in the drug-growing operation at New Road, Hillsborough.

Police arrested them during a raid on outbuildings located just yards from the home of 53-year-old farmer and co-accused Clive Weir on February 3 this year.

Officers seized 700 cannabis plants inside an agricultural shed said to have been converted into a large, sophisticated factory.

A £25,000 outside generator was being used as a heating system at the premises split into growing rooms, drying and packaging areas, and separate rest and accommodation quarters, the court heard.

A Crown lawyer said: “It was capable of powering up to 10 houses.”

The two Vietnamese defendants were living in a caravan constructed and installed in the outbuilding.

It included a shower and toilet, kitchen with a fully stocked fridge freezer, and full access to Wi-Fi.

“There was an entertainment area including a PlayStation, large TV screen and mixing decks,” the prosecutor added.

The Nguyens are jointly charged with cultivating and possessing cannabis with intent to supply, along with being in the United Kingdom illegally.

Referring to the scale of the illicit operation, counsel said: “Admissions made at interview suggest the monthly income was approximately £200,000.”

With the defendants alleging they were used as modern slaves, Anh Nguyen claimed he came to Northern Ireland for carpentry work but then had to help construct the cannabis factory.

Mr Justice Shaw was told the Home Office identified reasonable grounds for believing they may have been trafficked but no conclusive proof.

Police do not accept their accounts, however, based on CCTV footage which allegedly showed them freely shopping for food and alcohol.

Defence lawyers argued that the conflicting views taken by the two authorities provided enough reason to release the two men from custody.

Barrister Peter Coiley submitted: “If they were being controlled that lends weight to the suggestion they have been trafficked or subject to modern slavery.”

Bail was refused to both accused due to the risk of flight.

“Their counsel said they have nowhere to go; I prefer to take the view they have no reason to stay,” Mr Justice Shaw concluded.

Citing the alleged scale of the cannabis growing operation, he observed: “It is said to produce a profit of £2.4m per annum.”