This month, a 38-year-old chef who used to work for a top Vietnamese restaurant group in Auckland was deported after he was charged with two charges of cultivating cannabis. However, they were subsequently dropped.
He was deported for overstaying his visa and being unlawfully in New Zealand.
A director of the Auckland-based restaurant group, which the Herald agreed not to name, said the ex-chef was one of three who worked for them who had been implicated over illegal cannabis.
The group currently employs more than 20 workers from Vietnam who were recruited through the AEWV scheme.
“The problems started from Covid-19 lockdown time, when they had nothing to do and people [were] coming to offer them big money to grow cannabis,” the director said.
“All three former chefs have been deported, and I have warned my other staff not to fall into the same temptation or be stupid like them.”
The Herald understands there are several others linked to Vietnamese restaurants and construction companies here that are currently part of ongoing investigations.
In November last year, police executed a search warrant at a Takanini address where they seized 134 cannabis plants and 30 cannabis seedlings.
Just before Christmas, police stopped three Vietnamese men after they were seen carrying cannabis plants covered with black plastic from the front of an Otahuhu house and placing them into a Toyota Hiace vehicle.
Police searched the vehicle and found 24 cannabis plants and $17,000 in cash.
Inside the property, police found a large cannabis-growing operation, with the entire property being modified to grow the illegal plants.
A number of sacks full of cannabis waste, including stalks and root systems, and seven large cannabis plants were also found.
INZ national manager of investigations Stephanie Greathead said where appropriate, INZ would assist police operationally.
She said cases of Vietnamese migrants and the consequences of cannabis cultivation on visa status have received significant publicity this year, with one case going to the Supreme Court.
Greathead said the agency was not able to comment on individual circumstances or active investigations.
“This is in order to maintain the integrity of the compliance and investigation work we undertake,” she said.
An INZ investigation is also ongoing after 146 migrants from India and Bangladesh were found living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions in six houses across Auckland.
The Herald has reported extensively on issues with the accredited employer visa scheme and concerns from immigration advisers and migrants who have been victims of exploitation, along with migrants being “sold” work visas overseas.
These included hundreds from Nepal and South American countries who paid substantial amounts for visa and job offers, but have yet to get any paid work since arriving.
Immigration Minister Andrew Little has ordered an urgent independent review of the scheme after “serious concerns” were raised by a whistleblower that checks of potential accredited employers were not being carried out.
Greathead said INZ was present on Tuesday evening at a police-led community engagement evening in Mount Eden.
“INZ attends these events as part of our regular programme of community engagement and education,” she said.
“INZ wants to help people remain lawful and abide by their visa conditions. If any migrant feels that they are in a situation where they are being exploited or potentially exploited, then we want to know about it.”
She said these migrants could contact the agency via the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s contact centre on 0800 209020.
Lincoln Tan specialises in covering stories around diversity and immigration. He’s been a journalist at the Herald since 2006.
