Tearful illegal immigrant jailed for overseeing Sheffield cannabis farm with 268 plants

Sheffield Crown Court heard via a remote video hearing on July 12 how 41-year-old defendant Van Dinh was discovered by police with a large amount of cannabis plants across different rooms in a property on Elmham Road, at Darnall, Sheffield.

Ian West, prosecuting, said police raided the property on June 7 and found Dinh on a sofa in the living room of the property along with 268 cannabis plants in five different rooms.

The defendant had a key to the property and a mobile phone, according to Mr West, and it is accepted that he was just a gardener overseeing the cannabis plants.

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Judge Graham Robinson said: “The operation was capable of producing significant quantities of cannabis for commercial use.”

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Vietnamese-speaking Dinh, who has previously served a custodial sentence after he was convicted of producing cannabis in 2019, pleaded guilty to producing the class B drug following the police raid in June.

Tim Gaubert, defending, said: “Prior to this offence he was living in Birmingham and was brought by three people for work and he was told he was to be a cleaner.

“He did not know where he was going and he did not know he was actually in Sheffield.”

Mr Gaubert added there had been elements of pressure, coercion and exploitation with only a limited financial reward and Dinh had performed a limited function under direction with no control over those above him in the chain.

Dinh, formerly of Elmham Road, Sheffield, is an illegal immigrant, according to Mr Gaubert, and he has family in Vietnam and wishes to return to that country.

Judge Robinson told Dinh: “I am told that you were living in Birmingham and were offered work as a cleaner.

“You were brought to Sheffield and taken to the cannabis farm and there you must have seen straight away what it was.”

Dinh, who has been remanded in custody and appeared during the hearing via a custody suite video, was visibly reduced to tears as he was sentenced to 30 months of custody.