A man has been locked up for more than two years after officers raided a Peterhead property and found £200,000 of cannabis.
Te Van Nguyen appeared at Peterhead Sheriff Court for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to being involved in the cultivation of the drug in August 2023.
The court heard how Van Nguyen, posing as “Tim”, came across the Abbotswell Road property on Gumtree and handed its owner £1,400 as a deposit and first month’s rent to secure a base for his drug operation.
It was only after the owner tried to gain access to make sure nothing was amiss that his illegal scheme was discovered.
After finding the lock no longer worked with the original keys, the owner gave police officers permission to force their way in.
Fiscal depute Jennifer Pritchard told the court when officers began to make efforts to do so, however, Van Nguyen gave himself up.
“The accused presented himself to the police with his arms raised,” she said.
“[He] was found to be in possession of a mobile telephone, car key, foreign currency and £160 in cash.”
Inside the property itself, “a well-established cannabis cultivation” became apparent.
Across two growing sites, 151 mature cannabis plants were present. An additional 96 saplings were growing in trays.
Ms Pritchard said if all were fully grown, they could have sold for as much as £200,000.
A life-changing mistake
Van Nguyen’s defence solicitor Stuart Flowerdew said the 38-year-old accepted the situation he was in.
“He has a wife and a child and he has made a decision that will be life-changing for all those individuals,” he said.
“It’s fairly obvious his sentence will be a custodial one.”
He added “elements” of trafficking and coercion played a part in Van Nguyen’s drug operation and he had been in custody for the matter since May 7 – the day of the raid.
Sheriff Annella Cowan told Van Nguyen, an inmate of HMP Grampian, he was not ignorant to the part he was playing in the distribution of the illegal drugs and handed him an 18-month custodial order.
She said: “I accept that you were not the main actor in this matter, but in my view, you played a significant role and you knew perfectly well what you were doing.”
Van Nguyen’s sentence will be backdated to May to account for time already served in custody.
The cash he was caught with, as well as the growing paraphernalia within his rented property, will be forfeited to the Crown.