It is hard to feel sorry for anyone connected with the trade in illegal drugs because it causes such misery.

But a judge yesterday spoke of the shattered dreams of one man who sought to better himself only to fall into the hands of gangsters and it is difficult not to feel a degree of sympathy.

Of course, Truong Van Nguyen deserves his prison sentence because he was engaged in a criminal enterprise he knew was wrong.

But, in a way, he can also be considered a victim, trafficked from his home in Vietnam to a miserable existence in Bradford before ending up in prison – further proof that the trade in cannabis is far from harmless, as some would have us believe.

For while there are very real dangers associated with the drug itself, the trade is inextricably linked with the criminal underworld and leaves a trail of victims in its wake.

If Nguyen was at the bottom of this evil business, then today we also learn that police are hoping to seize around £800,000 from two people convicted of offences towards the other end of the scale.

Michael Standing is currently serving eight-and-a-half years for crimes including supplying cannabis while his partner “in life and crime”, Jane Noonan, is serving two-and-a-half years for acquiring and transferring criminal property.

The message from both these stories – that it is not worth getting involved in the drugs trade – is loud and clear.