NCA targets crime group after cannabis farm found in Stroud
Raids have been carried out amid modern slavery claims
Last updated 26th Jan 2023
Officers from the National Crime Agency have carried out a series of raids across London as part of an investigation into an organised crime group suspected of using victims of modern slavery to operate cannabis farms.
Three men were arrested yesterday on suspicion of modern slavery, human trafficking and cannabis production offences.
It follows an operation in April 2022 where a huge cannabis farm was found operating out of an industrial unit in Stroud, Gloucestershire.
Officers found three suspected victims of modern slavery, all Vietnamese nationals, working at the premises. They've now been safeguarded.
Approximately 500 cannabis plants were recovered and destroyed- with a street value in excess of £400,000.
Two months later in June, a man aged 34 and a woman aged 28, were arrested in Essex on suspicion of having set up the Stroud farm. They were later released under investigation.
Those arrested yesterday are suspected of setting up cannabis farms, and trafficking victims between them to work. They remain in custody being questioned.