Six charged following major cannabis farm and human trafficking bust in Blackpool

On Monday (September 21) police raided an industrial unit off Wakefield Road in Bispham after receiving intelligence that a cannabis factory was in operation.

Around 300 cannabis plants with an estimated street value of £150,000 were seized, with police making several arrests.

Following further investigation, police later attended a home in George Street, where a second cannabis grow of 100 plants was discovered.

Eight people, including a number of Vietnamese nations, were initially arrested on suspicious of drugs and human trafficking offences and taken into custody.

Six have now been charged. They are:

- Ha Ngo, 43, of Ansdell Road, Blackpool, was charged with arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view to exploitation and being concerned in production of a controlled drug of Class B - cannabis

- Phan Hai Nam, 23, of no fixed address, was charged with being concerned in production of a controlled drug of Class B - cannabis

- Thanh Nguyen, 23, of Pennington Road, Bolton, was charged with being concerned in production of a controlled drug of Class B - cannabis

- Hung Nguyen, 27, of no fixed address, charged with being concerned in production of a controlled drug of Class B - cannabis

- A 16-year-old boy, of no fixed address, as charged with being concerned in production of a controlled drug of Class B - cannabis

- A 16-year-old boy, of no fixed address, as charged with being concerned in production of a controlled drug of Class B - cannabis

All are due to appear at Blackpool Magistrates' Court today (Wednesday, September 23).

Two other suspects - A 61-year-old man from Cleveleys and a 33-year-old man from Fleetwood - have been released under investigation.

The investigation was led by officers from the Blackpool Criminal Exploitation Team, supported by Blackpool Task Force and Blackpool Neighbourhood Police. They were joined at the scene by the Blackpool vulnerability team and Blackpool Council.

Statement from Blackpool Police

Det Sgt Steve Montgomery, of the Blackpool Criminal Exploitation Team, said: "These raids follow a major investigation by police in Blackpool targeting human trafficking and cannabis production offences.

"This operation has been on-going since July and has resulted in a number of arrests and the recovery of a significant amount of cannabis.

"We are committed to tackling drugs supply and exploitation of all kinds and we continue to work proactively to put an end to modern slavery.

"We welcome any community intelligence that may help to identify addresses where drugs supply and modern slavery may be taking place.

"If you suspect suspicious activity is taking place, please let us know. We take all reports seriously and will investigate thoroughly."

He added: “Human trafficking can also be a part of modern slavery as a person is moved from one place to another. This could be country to country, town to town, or even as simple as one room in a building to another. Even if a victim agrees to be moved, trafficking could still be taking place.

“Unfortunately, few people understand modern slavery and many confuse it with ‘migrant working’ or ‘illegal immigration’.

“Victims are generally living in fear. They don't fully understand what's happening to them and comply with their abusers in hiding the reality.

"We will continue tackling this issue and want to put an end to human trafficking and modern slavery in Lancashire.”

Message from Lancashire Police

Lancashire Constabulary is committed to investigating offences of human trafficking committed against victims of any nationality.

There are a number of ways you can contact someone for help if you . You don’t have to speak directly to the police - there are charities that can help you.

You can also ring some services anonymously; you do not have to give your name or go to court or give a statement.

For advice and support for victims and those with suspicions, please call the modern slavery helpline on 08000 121 700 or visit lancashire.police.uk/modernslavery