Judge jails two men after cannabis worth €430,000 found in Mayo
Judge Eoin Garavan said he was not convinced the two defendants were trafficked to Ireland.
Two men who were “gardeners” in a major cannabis growing operation have been jailed.
Vietnamese nationals Hoang Nguyen, aged 34, and Anh Pham, aged 24, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court to cultivating cannabis.
They were arrested on March 31, 2023, after Gardaí uncovered a sophisticated growhouse operation and more than €430,000 worth of cannabis at a property at Ballybeg, Kincon, Ballina.
The accused were present when officers raided a shed at the site. The shed had been divided into three rooms containing grow lights, fans, and ventilation equipment. A total of 541 cannabis plants valued at €432,800 were seized. Cannabis herb worth €506 was found in a mobile home the pair had been living in at the site.
Pham initially claimed he had been trafficked to Ireland and thought he would be working on a farm with animals. He said he only arrived there 15 minutes before Gardaí. Nguyen admitted to working at the location for two and a half months. The men failed to give Gardaí much detail on who brought them to Mayo.
Gda Peter Kerins said there was no evidence that the men were being kept against their will. A car and its keys were discovered at the property.
When questioned by counsel for the two accused, Gda Kerins said there was no money recovered and the men had no passports or travel documents. Electricity bills for the operation were traced back to a bank account in the Middle East.
The men have been in custody ever since their arrest last year.
Barrister Diarmuid Connolly, representing Nguyen, said his client became indebted to people in his homeland and was working in Ireland “under economic duress". The accused was at the “lowest rung of the ladder” in the criminal enterprise and made no money from the operation. He was essentially an “indentured slave working to pay off a debt".
Barrister Niall Collins, representing Pham, said the men were “exploited by sinister characters further up the ladder".
However, Judge Eoin Garavan said he was not convinced the men were trafficked.
“The extent of coercion does not appear to be extremely high. I believe they both knew enough. They spun a story that suits their case."
Judge Garavan jailed the pair for three years with the final six months suspended. They were both ordered to leave the jurisdiction upon their release from prison and not return for 10 years. The jail sentence was backdated to take account of the 15 months served.
