36 Arrested in Scotland in Raids Targeting Vietnamese Crime Gangs

Police in Scotland have arrested 36 individuals in a large-scale operation targeting a Vietnamese organized crime group suspected of human trafficking, drug production, fraud, money laundering, and immigration offenses. Approximately 300 officers participated in simultaneous early-morning raids across 47 locations in various Scottish cities and regions, including Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.

The operation, described as one of the biggest of its kind in Scotland, also led to the discovery of 14 cannabis-growing sites. Police Scotland stated that the investigation began after Vietnamese nationals were linked to 150 cannabis farms found in Scotland in the past year, resulting in about 120 arrests and the seizure of drugs worth £26 million.

Det Supt Stevie Bertram of Police Scotland indicated that subsequent inquiries revealed a single Vietnamese crime group was responsible for about one-third of these cannabis farms. The recent raids were the culmination of months of planning aimed at disrupting and crippling the organization. "All of the targets of this operation have been arrested and they are the ones we believe are running that operation," Bertram said.

The enforcement action also involved officers from His Majesty's Revenue and Customs and Home Office Immigration Enforcement. Police are working with regional crime teams across the UK and have liaised with authorities in Vietnam.

Among the locations searched was a tenement flat in Edinburgh, where three rooms were found to be extensively equipped for cannabis cultivation. Police are now working to identify whether any of the arrested individuals are victims of human trafficking, noting that Vietnamese nationals are among the highest nationalities exploited in Scotland. Investigations involving mobile phone data and paperwork will continue to ensure victims are identified and supported.