Police Scotland reports 36 arrests in trafficking operation

Police Scotland said Operation Kendrew has resulted in 36 arrests and the discovery of 14 cannabis cultivations in an investigation targeting a suspected organised crime group accused of human trafficking and related offences. Officers also found a number of potential trafficking victims, police said. About 300 officers took part in the operation on Wednesday, September 23. Reports identify raids in Glasgow, Falkirk, Dundee, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, Midlothian and the Scottish Borders, with arrests also reported in Birmingham. Police said the group was mainly run by people from Vietnam, with some members from other Southeast Asian countries. Police Scotland described the operation as its biggest and most coordinated effort targeting human trafficking. Detective Superintendent Stevie Bertram, head of the force’s National Human Trafficking Unit, said it followed a lengthy investigation and involved coordinated enforcement action. The operation was led by the unit, with support from the National Crime Agency, Home Office Immigration Enforcement and HMRC. Reports also said Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian policing forces worked with police.