Courts / Dublin / Report

Vietnamese "gardener" in €1.6m grow-house caught behind false wall

Summary

Two Vietnamese men, Tham Nguyen (59) and Thang Chinh Hoang (58), were arrested and pleaded guilty to possessing and cultivating cannabis in a grow house in Coolock, Dublin. Gardaí discovered €60,000 worth of cannabis and 2,065 plants, with a theoretical maximum value of €1.6 million if fully mature. The grow house, located at Belcamp Lane, featured a false wall and a roof where the men were found. Nguyen had a prior cannabis conviction; Hoang had none. Both men had lived in the house since late 2017, with Nguyen arriving in December and Hoang in September/October. They were remanded in custody, and the sentence was adjourned to the following week. The court noted their low intelligence, limited English, and vulnerable backgrounds. The case remains at the pleading stage.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Vietnamese "gardener" in €1.6m grow-house caught behind false wall. Charges or matters: possessing and cultivating cannabis on January 24, 2017. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• January 24, 2017 Incident
• December 2017 Other
• October 2017 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2018-10-09 Publication

Why: Counsel submitted that this was because he is a remand prisoner, not a sentence prisoner, and the services aren't there. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report