A Vietnamese man who was trafficked to Britain aged 15 and initially unaware what country he was in faces an eight-month jail term and deportation after being caught working in a cannabis factory in Hampton.

Richmond and Twickenham Times:

Police discovered 279 cannabis plants and an additional 99 "cuttings" in a raid of the Deacons Walk flat on August 19 this year, along with lighting and watering systems, Kingston Crown Court heard on Tuesday.

Tam Xuan Le, 19, was found in the kitchen of the three-bedroom flat, along with a notebook with instructions in Vietnamese detailing how to look after the plants.

The plants could have yielded 8.1kg of "skunk", a particularly high strength strain of the drug, while the cuttings amounted to an additional 4.6kg, which could be worth as much as £44,000 altogether.

Alexandra Boshell, prosecuting, told the court Le, who speaks no English, was found to be in the UK illegally, having arrived in the country in January 2010 aged 15.

He told police he originally thought he was travelling to Taiwan to work in construction, but flew to Thailand then Russia, where his documentation was confiscated.

He travelled across Europe by stowing away in various lorries, and it was not until he had been in England for some time that he realised where he was.

He was put into foster care in Worthing, but was separated from his carers and began working in various restaurants before his time at the cannabis factory.

Le told police he was due to leave the flat, because the plants were nearly ready to be harvested, and was waiting to be relieved of his duties.

Le pleaded guilty, but Ms Boshell told the court there was no evidence to suggest he had anything more than a lesser role in the set-up.

Judge Birts QC said the skunk was particularly harmful to its users, in a way the defendant perhaps did not appreciate, and although he did not set up the operation he was maintaining the product and ensuring it reached the market.

He said: "I have seen people have their lives ruined by addiction to this drug and this court takes a serious view to this type of operation.

"You have had a very sad time because you were exploited by people smugglers in Vietnam and after travelling across the world through Russia and losing your papers you were smuggled here."

He added: "Your presence in this country is not welcome and I have no option but to recommend to the secretary of state that you are deported."

Detective Constable Kris Latham from Richmond CID said: "I am very happy with the outcome of this case. The discovery of what has come to be known as a [cannabis factory] at this address, is testament to the vigilance of the residents of the local community.

"This is a clear example of police and the wider community working together to rid our streets of crime. In this case, the defendant found, that despite being from foreign lands, was not exempt from the law. The weight of his sentence and deportation order sends a clear message that this type of criminal behaviour will not be tolerated."

The landlord of the property was unaware of the operation and it is unknown who was behind the drug factory, the court heard.

All the drugs and paraphernalia seized will be destroyed.