Workers from $110m Isis Central drug operation sentenced

Slaving away at a “sophisticated” drug farm for their bosses, foreign workers had been recruited from NSW and sent to Hervey Bay, then Isis. Now, names and details can be revealed. VIDEO.

When the police drug squad raided a $100m Isis Central cannabis farm in October 2022, they found a “sophisticated” operation in full swing.

A complex of 51 greenhouses with retractable plastic walls sprawled across the farm, where a crop of 43,246 plants with an estimated weight of 14 tonnes was growing.

The plants were watered by irrigation systems supplied by above-ground pools acting as water reservoirs, with the fluorescent lighting in each greenhouse powered by industrial generators.

But the living conditions of the workers who built and maintained the facility were far more primitive.

The 14 men, all Vietnamese and Malaysian nationals, were staying in a house on the property that police described as “dilapidated” and “infested with rats”.

The defence barrister for one of the workers said they were “treated like animals” by the farm bosses who have still not been located by police.

The workers were required to work from 6am-10pm seven days a week for less than $2 per hour.

Entirely confined to the property and not allowed to use mobile phones, workers were also forbidden to use the running water and electricity available in the house and instead bathed and cooked with rainwater and portable gas stoves.

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

Given they worked 16-hour days, from 6am-10 seven days per week, this meant the men were effectively paid $2/hr.

The four men who have so far been brought before the courts were all recruited in the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta by a man named “Sun”, who appeared to have been an organiser for the operation.

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

After initially travelling to a Hervey Bay farm in June 2022, where they met the owner and their co-workers, and were then taken to the Isis Central property around June 16.

The men worked on clearing the property and repairing the house as far as possible, then were tasked as general workers on the operation until their arrest in October.

Here are the details of the four men to have appeared before Bundaberg District Court for producing a dangerous drug.

Duy Khanh Bui

After completing a Civil Engineering degree in Vietnam, Bui, 30, came to Australia on holiday.

In his August 31 sentencing at Bundaberg District Court, Bui’s defence barrister, Phillip Hardcastle, told the court his client was forced to take some cash work in order to pay for his holiday due to some complications with his Tax File Number.

Mr Hardcastle told the court Bui “ran into some people” while he was living in Cabramatta, who offered him some cash work on the Hervey Bay farm.

Judge Tony Moynihan KC sentenced Bui to three years’ imprisonment suspended after 12 months, with a parole release date of October 5, 2023.

Simon Tran

Tran, 51, grew up in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, with his brother arriving in Australia with the first wave of Vietnamese refugees in the early 1980s, soon followed by Tran and the rest of his immediate family.

Tran’s defence barrister, Eleanor Lynch, told the court Tran completed only two years of high school and “fell into a bad crowd” involving gang activity which led to him being shot twice in his late 20s.

In his August 31 sentencing at Bundaberg District Court, Judge Tony Moynihan KC took Tran’s criminal history into account and sentenced Bui to three years’ imprisonment suspended after 12 months, with a parole release date of December 5, 2023, two months later than Bui.

Duc Huu Tran

Tran, 26, 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.

Tran’s barrister, Callan Cassidy, told the court a friend of Tran’s told him about farm work available in Queensland, which led him to make contact with Sun.

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.

In his September 22 sentencing at Bundaberg District 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.

Kar Choy Chan

The court heard Chan, 56, came to Australia from Malaysia 10 years ago.

Chan had overstayed his visa, and due to the interest to Border Force would likely be deported following his release from any term of imprisonment imposed by the court.

On September 29 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.