Pair Jailed Over Roles In Cannabis Factory

[Wilbur]

A delivery driver and gardener for a cannabis drug factory hidden in a Sheffield house have been jailed.

Lam Vo, aged 52, and Hai Hoang, 19, pleaded guilty to being concerned with the production of cannabis at the property on Ellerton Road, Firth Park, in June.

Police found 347 plants with a street value of more than £4,000 being cultivated at the house.

Sheffield Crown Court heard Vo, who lived in London, had been paid up to £300 to drive packages to Sheffield while Hoang, an illegal immigrant from Vietnam, was given food and accommodation to water the plants.

Vo was on bail at the time of his arrest for assaulting a member of staff at the Vietnamese Noodle Bar on London Road.

The dad-of-four, who was drunk at the time, pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding after smashing a bottle over the complainant's head during an argument.

Vo, who has no previous convictions, was jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Judge Simon Lawler QC said on sentencing: "You, Vo, say you were a courier between your address in London and Sheffield making deliveries every week, over what seems a number of weeks, carrying a sealed package that was used in the production. You were paid £200 to £300 per trip. That shows how important it was."

Hoang, who travelled to England in the back of a lorry in June, was sentenced to nine months in a young offenders institute and ordered to be deported upon his release.

Judge Lawler said: "You, Hoang, say you were in difficult circumstances, which I accept, and you agreed to act in effect as a gardener for some 12 days before your arrest. I am satisfied that you, Vo, are far more involved and your motivation was clearly financial."

He added: "There is substantial concern in South Yorkshire at the moment over cannabis factories.
"There are a number of such cases before the courts and it is essential that the court sends out the message that such enterprises will not be tolerated and those caught in the set up or running of them will be punished."


Newshawk: User - 420 Magazine
Source: Sheffield Today
Pubdate: 14 November 2006
Copyright: 2006 Johnston Press Digital Publishing
Contact: Sheffield Today
Website: Article Here