Security Minister Dan Jarvis has praised Police Scotland and partner agencies after 36 people were arrested in what the force described as its biggest and most coordinated human trafficking operation to date.
The nationwide operation, carried out on 23 September, targeted a Vietnamese organised crime group suspected of human trafficking, exploitation and organised immigration crime. Around 300 officers were deployed simultaneously across 47 addresses in Aberdeen, Dundee, Falkirk, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, Midlothian and the Scottish Borders, with arrests also made in Birmingham.
Jarvis said:
"Brilliant work by @PoliceScotland and partners, and a big blow to serious organised crime."
He added:
"Criminal bosses will not be allowed to peddle drugs and traffic victims in our country. This action shows they have no place to hide."
36 arrests and 14 cannabis cultivations uncovered
Police Scotland said 36 people were arrested and 14 cannabis cultivations discovered during the operation. Officers served 35 warrants and also identified a number of potential trafficking victims at several addresses.
The force said the operation was led by its National Human Trafficking Unit and involved Home Office Immigration Enforcement and HMRC, with related enforcement activity also taking place in Northern Ireland earlier in the week.
Trafficking linked to organised drug crime
Police Scotland's latest threat assessment says criminal exploitation linked to human trafficking can include drug activity such as cannabis cultivation, while organised crime groups remain heavily involved in the production and distribution of illegal drugs.
Detective Superintendent Stevie Bertram, head of Police Scotland's National Human Trafficking Unit, said the operation followed a lengthy investigation and was aimed at disrupting those who "abuse, control and exploit others".
Specialist support for potential victims
The charity Justice & Care deployed two specialist Victim Navigators to support people recovered during the operation.
The programme provides trauma-informed assistance to suspected trafficking victims from the point of rescue onwards, including help navigating police investigations and accessing wider support.
Jarvis links operation to wider fight against organised crime
Jarvis's intervention reflects the Government's wider focus on serious organised crime, trafficking and drug networks.
The operation demonstrates how trafficking, immigration crime and drug production can overlap within the same criminal networks, requiring coordinated action across policing, immigration enforcement and financial investigation.
For Jarvis, the message is that organised crime groups involved in trafficking and exploitation will face coordinated enforcement across borders - while victims must be identified and supported alongside the pursuit of those running the networks.
