Cannabis farm was found in an EK flat

A neighbour who found a cannabis farm in an upstairs flat said it “looked like a jungle”.

Police seized 245 plants worth up to £110,000 from the property in Alberta Avenue, East Kilbride.

Hamilton Sheriff Court, pictured, heard that a man discovered the huge cultivation after going upstairs to complain about water seeping into the flat below.

Police were contacted and Cong Le Hynh, an illegal immigrant from Vietnam, was caught as he tried to run away.

Le Hynh, 36, claimed he was forced by criminals to tend the plants, but a jury rejected his story.

He was found guilty of producing cannabis and bypassing the flat’s electricity meter on December 8, 2021.

Le Hynh told the court through an interpreter that he arrived in Glasgow by train from London and almost immediately was offered work by two men, one Chinese and the other ‘western’.

His lawyer, Laura Kiernan, told the jury: “Vulnerable illegal immigrants are recruited and told they will be cleaning properties.

“When they realise what’s really going on, it’s too late to leave.”

Le Hynh claimed he was threatened, beaten and warned that the flat he had been assigned was being watched.

But prosecutor Jennifer Cunningham urged the jury to reject his story.

She said: “He showed no signs of injury and the police say he didn’t look scared, only startled.

“He was not locked in the flat. He was the keyholder and the door was locked from the inside - to keep people out, not to keep someone in.

“He could leave whenever he wanted. There was a bottle of vodka in the kitchen. That’s not something you’d give to a prisoner.

“This was a sophisticated and complex operation – a money-making machine – and you might think it bears all the hallmarks of organised crime.

“A skilled gardener was a vital component in the machine. The accused was there because he wanted to be, benefitting from food, somewhere to sleep and promised money.”

After the verdicts, Sheriff Ray Small deferred sentence until next month for background reports.

Le Hynh, who has been held at HMP Addiewell since his arrest, was again remanded in custody.