$100m drug farm workers paid $2/hr, lived in ‘rat infested’ house

A university graduate recruited to help farm a $100million drug operation in the wilds of rural Qld soon discovered he was on a working holiday from hell.

Workers recruited for a $100m Isis Central drug operation were ‘treated like animals’ while working 16 hour days, a Bundaberg court heard.

Workers recruited for a sophisticated drug operation were “treated like animals” and paid less than $2 per hour before they were arrested in a police raid, a Bundaberg court heard.

Duc Huu Tran, 26, pleaded guilty to producing a dangerous drug in Bundaberg District Court on Thursday, September 22, for his involvement in a $100m Isis Central mega marijuana farm that was raided by police in October 2022.

Tran’s barrister, Callan Cassidy, told the court his client came to Australia from Vietnam in February 2022 on a working holiday visa after completing a five-year bachelor of business degree.

While in Australia Tran was engaged in farm work, and sought to extend his visa by working in the agricultural sector in regional areas.

The court heard a friend of Tran’s told him about farm work available in Queensland, which led him to make contact with a man called “Sun” who appeared to have been an organiser for workers for the Isis Central drug operation.

Tran and his co-accused were required to work from 6am-10pm seven days a week for less than $2 per hour.

Assistant Crown Prosecutor Chantelle Le Grand told the court that after being assured his visa would be extended by working on the farm, Tran travelled to a Hervey Bay farm in early June 2022, where he met the owner of the farm and his co-accused, and was taken to the Isis Central property around June 16.

The property had been cleared prior to the workers’ arrival, and was vacant apart from a house in disrepair.

Tran and his co-accused subsequently repaired the house and built 51 greenhouses 80m in length, equipped with retractable plastic walls and hydration systems and fluorescent lighting supplied by industrial generators and above-ground pools.

The workers constructed 51 greenhouses with a length of 80m, equipped with retractable plastic walls and hydration systems.

Mr Cassidy told the court that Tran and his co-accused were “treated like animals” while they were working on the operation, being entirely confined to the property and not allowed to use mobile phones.

The workers lived in the house which despite the repair work, was described by police as “dilapidated” and “rat infested”, with the men not permitted to use the running water and electricity available on the property, but forced to use rain water for both bathing and cooking and portable gas stoves for cooking and heating water.

After being initially promised a wage of $3000 per month, Mr Cassidy said Tran received only one payment of $2000 during the three-and-a-half months he worked on the operation, with the farm boss telling him that $1000 had been deducted for living expenses.

The court heard Tran and his co-accused were required to work from 6am-10pm seven days per week, meaning they were effectively paid less than $2 per hour.

The workers planted 3000 cannabis plants in individual pots in the greenhouses, which were used to propagate a further crop weighing over 14,000kg with an estimated value of $100 million at the time of the police raid.

Mr Cassidy told the court that while Tran was initially unaware he was being employed on an illegal drug operation, he conceded that he knew the farm was involved in cannabis operation from August 1, when the first crop of plants was delivered.

The court heard Tran was of interest to border force, and would likely be deported following his release from any term of imprisonment imposed by the court.

Judge John Allen KC sentenced Tran to three years’ jail, with release on a three-year suspended sentence after serving 12 months.

With time served in pre-sentence custody Tran will be released on October 5, 2023.