A Vietnamese man has been jailed in the UK for leading a cannabis growing operation.

The man, identified as Toi Van Le, was jailed for 11 years and 10 months for running a cannabis factory in the city of Newport, in South Wales.

Le used an abandoned leisure centre in Newport and had equipment capable of producing £1.6 million worth of drugs.

The judge said Le exploited a group of illegal Vietnamese immigrants to run the operation.

He had also played a leading role in a nationwide drug operation over 10 years.

Lawyers for Le said he had been legally living in the UK since 1990, and had no previous convictions.

– with South Wales Argus