Unravelling plot that left four dead....

John Scheerhout is granted rare access to investigation into fatal cannabis blaze

THEY died in terrible circumstances 6,000 miles away from their families in Vietnam, modern day slaves who appear to have been trafficked here by gangmasters to work on a huge cannabis farm in a converted mill under the noses of neighbouring businesses trading legitimately.

Exactly how the men met their deaths in a devastating fire at Bismark House Mill on Bower Street, Oldham on May 7 last year - whether it was an accident or something more sinister remains a mystery that may never be solved.

That's because those who brought them here and profited from their toils were involved in two forms of very serious crime: modern slavery and the cultivation and supply of illegal drugs. What we do know is that somehow their bodies weren't discovered until two months after the fire, when demolition workers found human remains, prompting headlines all over the world.

Behind each name is a devastated family in rural Vietnam: Uoc Van Nguyen, 31, Cuong Van Chu, 39, Duong Van Nguyen, 29, and 21-yearold Nam Thanh Lee.