A VIETNAMESE drug baron has had £42,000 seized by a court.

Phi Van Duong, 40, of Rutland Avenue, Southend, had earned the cash by helping to manage 40 dope farms set up in Basildon, Southend, Canvey and London.

At a hearing at Basildon Crown Court, Phi Van Duong was ordered to repay £42,000 of his criminals earnings following a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing.

Van Duong, along with his lieutenant Tap Van Duong, 30, also ran drugs factories in London as well as south Essex.

But police estimated in just the Essex drugs dens, the pair were amassing more than £2.3million a year in profit.

Some of the profits were used to pay £20,000 a year to rent Tylands Farm, Langdon Hills, and £12,000 for a warehouse in Hedley Avenue, Purfleet.

The gang cut the cost of running the cannabis factories by illegally abstracting electricity and using illegal immigrants as “caretakers” to make sure the plants were properly grown.

Van Duong, who arrived in the UK as an illegal immigrant in 1986, but was given the right to stay, was responsible for choosing the factories and organising their rental. He also had the drug-growing equipment installed.

Phi Van Duong was arrested in October 2005, and when police raided his home in Rutland Avenue, Southend, they discovered rent details for all of the drug factory properties and more than £35,000 in cash.

Phi Van Duong and Tap Van Duong admitted conspiracy to produce cannabis between Jan- uary 2005 and November 2007 at Basildon Crown Court in February last year.

Phi Van Duong was later jailed for nine years while his lieutenant was jailed for six.