A VIETNAMESE man today admitted making at least £40,000 this year from an illegal cannabis factory run from a Fenland village. Police raided Presimon House in Gull Road, Guyhirn, on Monday and discovered seven rooms in the £250,000 detached property he wa

EXCLUSIVE by ELAINE KING

A VIETNAMESE man today admitted making at least £40,000 this year from an illegal cannabis factory run from a Fenland village.

Police raided Presimon House in Gull Road, Guyhirn, on Monday and discovered seven rooms in the £250,000 detached property he was renting were being used for the growing of the class C drug.

Cuong Van Nguyen, 32, of Presimon House, admitted producing cannabis, possessing cannabis with intent to supply it to others, and diverting the electricity supply, when he appeared before Fenland magistrates today.

District Judge Ken Sheraton remanded him in custody, saying: "You are at risk of a hefty term of imprisonment, and it is evident you have links outside this country." Van Nguyen will be sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court.

The court was told that inside the house police found a diamond ring, a £1,400 carbon fibre bicycle, a receipt for a pair of £265 Cartier sunglasses from Harrods, and a camera worth £1,400.

However the court also heard that Van Nguyen's bank account was £6,000 overdrawn and he had gambling debts totalling £5,000.

Windows were covered in sheets and blankets, halogen heat lamps were suspended from the ceiling, and a vast amount of electrical wiring filled the property, including power packs and transformers.

Air ducts had been cut into the ceiling to get rid of the stench of growing cannabis, and the electricity supply had been by-passed.

Cuong Van Nguyen, 32, of Presimon House, admitted producing cannabis, possessing cannabis with intent to supply it to others, and diverting the electricity supply.

John Nooijen, prosecuting, said police activated a warrant under the Misuse of Drugs Act, and were let in through a rear door by Van Nguyen's girlfriend, who was holding her young son in her arms.

Upstairs, Van Nguyen was getting dressed. There was a strong smell of cannabis, and seven rooms were full of cannabis plants, at various stages of growth.

The woman was allowed to go back to her home in March, and the defendant was arrested.

"In total, there were 583 plants, with a potential yield of tens of thousands of pounds," said Mr Nooijen. "Also found were 300 US dollars, and £560 in sterling.

"The defendant admitted that all the plants belonged to him and had been grown from cuttings.

He had paid £1,400 a month rent for the house and his landlord had no idea about the damage he had caused by cutting holes for the vents. Van Nguyen had been growing cannabis for about a year.

More than 100 plants would have been ready for harvest in three weeks time, and each harvest netted him around £15,000. All the cannabis was sold to one man, the court heard.

Mr Nooijen said the defendant came to England from Vietnam in 1994, and was facing up to 14 years in jail.

Roger Glazebrook, defending, said Van Nguyen had a British passport, and had come to England via Hong Kong. He had used his passport a lot, including trips to Vietnam.

Applying for bail, Mr Glazebrook said: "He knows he will have to serve a long time in jail."

The drugs raid was led by Det Sgt Sean Spencer, of the divisional crime and drugs unit.