Pair admit part in Letterston cannabis farm (From Western Telegraph)

Pair admit part in Letterston cannabis farm

7:00pm Saturday 12th May 2012 in News

A young Vietnamese man who arrived in the UK inside a container ended up gardening a cannabis farm inside a house in Letterston.

Hoang Nguwen, aged 19, appeared at Swansea crown court on Friday for a plea and case management hearing.

He admitted, via an interpreter, being concerned in the production of cannabis on January 22nd at a house in St Davids Road.

Paul Raine, aged 31, from Handsworth, Birmingham, admitted the same charge.

They both denied possessing cannabis between November 13th and January 22nd with intent to supply and illegally abstracting electricity between the same dates.

Kevin Jones, prosecuting, said the pleas were acceptable, partly because the cannabis plants had been immature and not, at the time of the arrests, saleable.

Mr Jones said the defence teams accepted that the operation had been a commercial one as opposed to someone growing cannabis only for their own use.

Nguwen, he added, had been the gardener while Raine has “secured” the property.

“There are others involved,” added Mr Jones.

Judge Paul Thomas warned Raine he was going to jail. He granted him bail only to allow him time to explain to his family.

Nguwen was further remanded in custody.