Man jailed after police find cannabis farm in Livingston house

Sep 1 2011 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

POLICE discovered a large-scale cannabis farm when they raided a house in Livingston.

Over 400 plants, worth an estimated £60,000, were found in the Curlew Brae property on June 21 this year.

Livingston Sheriff Court heard that Ngo Van Do was seen jumping from a window of the property in a bid to escape the police but was stopped by officers as he attempted to climb the fence.

“A large-scale cannabis cultivation was found within the property,” fiscal depute Sarah O’Gallagher told the court.

“Four rooms in the upper floor and loft were all converted for the purpose of cultivation as well as a large room on the ground floor.

“The loft was used as a nursery and the rooms as staged growth areas. The electricity supply had also been altered.”

During interview Do, an illegal immigrant from Vietnam, told officers he had been working at the property as a gardener.

Do, who was described as a prisoner of Edinburgh, pleaded guilty to being involved in the production of the class-B drug.

The 33-year-old’s solicitor, Gillian Taylor, told the court her client came from an impoverished region of Vietnam.

“His wife and two children are still in Vietnam. His wife works in the rice fields and also cares for his parents who are now in their 70s,” the solicitor added.

“He tells me he left Vietnam about a year ago. He travelled from Vietnam to Russia by boat and from Russia to the UK in a lorry.

“He says he had been in Scotland for about two months.

“The promise of work which brought him to the UK was not forthcoming. Eventually a Chinese man offered him work.

“He tells me at that point he didn’t know what type of work it was.

“He was taken to this house in Livingston and when he arrived the plants were already there.

“He was told he would be looking after the plants and that they were herbal medicine plants used in Chinese medicine.

“He was also told he couldn’t leave the house and to had to stay there and follow the instructions whenever they arrived.

“These instructions came from the same Chinese man, he has no other description of the man other than that.

“He says he never got paid for any of the work.

“He is sorry for his behaviour and now understands that he did something wrong.

“The charge is limited to production on a single day and that his involvement was as a gardener.

“He is also due to be deported on the completion of his sentence.”

Jailing him for two years Sheriff Martin Edington said: “This seems to me a very similar case to that of one of your countrymen who was sentenced here recently, the only obvious difference immediately apparent to me being the value.

“In your case it is double that of the case involving your countryman.

“This is a sophisticated operation in which you also seem to me to minimise your involvement.

“You are understandably assessed as not suitable for any form of community-based disposal.

“Even if you were, this is such a serious offence that in the public interest there is no other alternative but to deprive you of your liberty, and to do so for a long period of time.

“You will therefore go to prison.”