Police target Vietnamese crime gang in biggest-ever human trafficking operation

Dozens of arrests have been made following the biggest and most coordinated human trafficking operation ever carried out by Police Scotland.

Around 300 officers took part in the action targeting a Vietnamese crime group suspected of human trafficking, exploitation and organised immigration crime.

A total of 36 people were arrested, and 14 cannabis cultivations were discovered during the raids at 47 addresses in Aberdeen, Dundee, Falkirk, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, Midlothian and the Scottish Borders. Arrests were also made in Birmingham.

The majority of raids were carried out in Glasgow, where officers targeted 19 properties. A total of 11 were carried out in Edinburgh, with a further five in Aberdeen. Of those arrested, 13 are due to appear in court on Friday.

A number of potential trafficking victims were also recovered from several of the addresses, police said.

The operation, which has been months in the making, was described as the ‘biggest and most co-ordinated’ the force has ever carried out.

Police Scotland has also been working with the National Crime Agency, Home Office, Immigration Enforcement and HMRC

The number of people identified as being trafficked to the UK and Scotland has increased in recent years.

In 2024, figures showed 920 potential victims of trafficking were identified in Scotland, up from 765 in 2023. Around 200 of those were female, and 714 were men.

The most common nationalities referred to were Vietnamese, Albanian and those from the UK.

Detective superintendent Stevie Bertram, head of Police Scotland’s National Human Trafficking Unit said: “This enforcement action is the biggest and most coordinated human trafficking operation that we have ever carried out, and was the result of a lengthy investigation, working closely with our partners.

“We took a coordinated approach, and the arrests and seizures are the result of this work.

Police Scotland raided addresses across the country STV News

“Human Trafficking is the illegal trade in human beings for the purpose of commercial exploitation, and it has no place in Scotland. It exists in many of our communities and can involve people who are legally resident in the country.

“The industry of trafficking people has become so sophisticated that it often goes unnoticed.

“We will target criminals who abuse, control and exploit people, working with partners nationally and internationally to bring offenders to justice, and to raise public awareness to help identify victims and ensure they get the support they need.

“I want to thank all of the officers involved who have worked tirelessly to get to where we are today.

“We will continue to use focused days of action to disrupt and identify those who control, abuse and exploit others to bring them to justice.”

Officers from across Police Scotland, led by the National Human Trafficking Unit, worked alongside Home Office Immigration Enforcement and HMRC. Enforcement action took place in Northern Ireland earlier this week.

A number of arrests have been made following the operation Police Scotland

Justice & Care deployed two Victim Navigators based in Scotland to assist with Operation Kendrew.

Debi Lloyd, head of Counter-Trafficking at Justice & Care, added: “Trauma-informed support is ultimately about recognising the person before the process. When somebody begins to trust again, to make their own choices and believe that people will do what they say they will do, that can be incredibly powerful.”

A number of those arrested are due to appear in court on Friday.