Vietnamese man jailed at Inverness Sheriff Court for role in cannabis supply in Moray

A man who was “bottom of the chain” in a drug gang has been jailed for 28 months for his part in supplying cannabis in Moray.

Vietnamese national Trung Kien Hoang was traced after fleeing an industrial property in Keith during a police bust that found a cannabis cultivation on October 28, 2024.

Inverness Sheriff Court was previously told that the 36-year-old was located after his DNA was found on a toothbrush

He claimed he owed money in Vietnam and “was forced to do it” or he and his family “would be harmed”.

Hoang, who was one of four men who fled through a side door during the bust, was found to be a victim of human trafficking and modern day slavery in England in 2024.

However, he pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis and Sheriff David Harvie sentenced him to 28 months imprisonment backdated to October 30, 2024.

Hoang’s defence solicitor Grant Daglish said: “He had been at the locus for two days and there were three other males who were present who had authority over him.

“He was at the bottom of the chain.”