The number of Vietnamese nationals in Scottish prisons has risen by almost 80 percent in the last year, making them the largest single foreign national group in the country's jails. Figures released by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) under Freedom of Information show the number has almost doubled from 81 last year to 145 this year.
Polish nationals are the second highest group with 94 jailed, followed by Albanians with 83 and Romanians with 55. The increase has sparked fears of a gang war behind bars.
Police operation against Vietnamese organised crime
Last week the Daily Record reported on a police operation against a Vietnamese organised crime group involved in human trafficking and cannabis farms across Scotland, resulting in 36 arrests. Former Police Scotland Superintendent Martin Gallagher said: "The marked increase in Vietnamese prisoners in Scotland's prisons is indicative of a change in our organised crime environment.
"Those getting caught will be at the tip of the iceberg of those involved in criminality here, and remember these individuals will already have gone through a screening process to determine if they are victims of human trafficking at arrest. We don't jail victims."
He added: "There will no doubt be rival gangs being operated amongst the Vietnamese criminals in Scotland. That these criminals are now en masse in our prison estate will be giving senior prison staff a headache, as they seek to keep apart those who might do each other harm."
Political reaction and prison crisis
The majority of Vietnamese behind bars are convicted criminals, the rest are on remand awaiting trial. Mr Gallagher added: "One has to hope that the high prison population does not see any interference in police operations against these groups.
"They have obviously grown substantially since I first encountered them and that they have not come into conflict with our own home-grown organised crime groups is likely down to luck rather than any other factor. We have enough of our own feuding criminals, both in prison and on the street."
Scottish Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: "The crisis in our prisons is unsustainable and the Scottish Government must urgently address it. Our prisons are overcrowded and hardworking staff are being pushed to the limit to manage the situation with limited resources.
"Police Scotland should be commended for the work they are doing, particularly in relation to tackling human trafficking – however, the crisis in our prisons should not hinder this work. The Scottish Government should also update Parliament regarding what arrangements may be reached to help free up prison places in respect of foreign nationals."
Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Stephen Kerr MSP said: "It is utterly unacceptable that hundreds of foreign criminals are continuing to clog up space in Scotland’s prisons. Labour must stop dragging its heels on deporting these offenders, while the SNP should be working with the Home Office to ensure that happens as quickly as possible.
"The Scottish Conservatives have a clear solution. Firstly, deport all foreign prisoners from the country and second, to deal with prison overcrowding allow prisoners to serve their sentences in overseas jails, freeing up space here without cutting sentences short."
Operation Kendrew and trafficking
Last week 300 police officers raided 47 properties across Glasgow, Falkirk, Dundee, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Fife in a series of early morning raids. Police working on Operation Kendrew also closed down 14 cannabis farms operated by the same Vietnamese crime gang.
They further rescued modern-day slaves forced to work on the cannabis farms - most of them operating from ordinary-looking homes. The raids follow Record revelations this month about the growing number of Vietnamese children being trafficked into Scotland and made to work in cannabis farms, nail bars and brothels.
Nineteen of the gang members arrested last week were in Glasgow, 11 in Edinburgh, five in Aberdeen and three in Dundee. The Vietnamese are among the most trafficked groups in the UK. As well as cannabis farms they are made to work in restaurants and even fishing boats. Vietnamese criminals are also behind bars in Scotland for fraud, money laundering and immigration crime including people smuggling.
Prison population and costs
According to the SPS figures, which are up to May 22 this year, there are 776 foreign nationals behind bars - around nine percent of the current prison total. There are 79 different nationalities including Greeks, Russians, Germans, Sudanese and Iranians. Their crimes range from sex attacks to drugs and road traffic offences.
The SPS figures also show that the cost of translation services for foreign criminals has risen steadily in the last six years from £39,364 in 2020/21 to £107,130 in 2025/26. A total of around £416,000. The biggest spend over the six year period was £109,134 in HMP Edinburgh followed by Barlinnie in Glasgow with £70,447 and then Glenochil with a £54,873 spend. There are currently around 8,500 prisoners in Scotland's jails.
A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: "As we have made clear, the size and complexity of the prison population is unsustainable. It now poses a significant risk to the safety of those living and working in our establishments and limits our ability to deliver effective rehabilitation.
"The complexity is driven by the high numbers of individuals who may require to be accommodated separately, for example because they are on remand, have links to serious and organised crime, or due to their offending history, all of which exacerbates the challenges faced."
Recent cases and sentencing
Last week a Vietnamese cannabis farmer was jailed for 27 months. The 35 year old was arrested after cops raided the £70,000 cultivation in a house in Bellshill, Lanarkshire. Around 250 hash plants were discovered in the upstairs room, with the suspect hiding among them. The Vietnamese national arrived in London in 2021 and came to Scotland for "work", Hamilton Sheriff Court heard.
In May this year a Vietnamese man who turned a two-bedroom flat into a £127,000 cannabis farm was jailed for two years. The 36 year old's crop was worth twice that of the top-floor flat in Dundee, the city's sheriff court was told. He had cultivated 170 plants valued at £127,500 plus 200 saplings potentially worth £50,000. Almost the entire property had been used to grow the dope alongside specialist lighting, fertilisers and chemicals.
In 2024 a sheriff joked that the gardens of Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow must be "well tended" because of the large number of Vietnamese cannabis growers inside. He had just jailed a 48 year old man for two years after being caught cultivating more than 200 illegal plants worth £70,000. The Vietnamese had admitted producing the class B drug in a house in Cumbernauld over a four month period. The man's lawyer said his client was one of a number of Vietnamese he had made friends with at Barlinnie who were facing the same charges. Airdrie sheriff Paul Haran then quipped: "I imagine the gardens in Barlinnie are well tended these days."
Figures released by the Scottish Prison Service show that on May 22 this year 776 criminals from 79 different countries were held in the country's prisons. Justice Secretary Neil Gray said: "We are taking action to address the high prison population, including building two new prisons, maximising capacity across the prison estate and increasing investment in community justice. Immigration and deportation are entirely reserved matters for the UK Government and we have engaged with them to ensure they include Scottish prisons in their removal plans."
