COURT dates have been agreed for eight Vietnamese nationals accused of involvement in a cannabis operation.

All eight were brought to Durham Crown Court yesterday for a preliminary hearing in the case.

The men and women, aged from 19 to 39, were arrested last weekend at addresses in County Durham on suspicion of setting up cannabis farms in Ferryhill and Shildon.

All are accused of conspiracy to produce the Class B drug.

A plea hearing will take place on December 21, while a provisional trial date was agreed, to start on March 11.

The defendants, Van Thuan Pham, 19, Hieu Trung Hoang, 31, Thang Manh Nguyen, 22, and 37-year-old Minh Van Tang, all of Willingsworth Road, Wednesbury, West Midlands, Tung Quang Le, 22, of Clovelly Avenue, Newcastle, and An Binh Nguyen, 19, Duong Van Pham, 29, and 22-year-old Nhi Thi Nguyen, all of no fixed address, were remanded in custody.