Ngoc Chien Tran and Josefa Momoka sentenced over Mangrove Mountain, Douglas Park cannabis crops

A man has been sentenced for cultivating nearly 2000 cannabis plants — worth an estimated $4.4 million — on the Central Coast and south west of Sydney.

A 56-year-old man from Riverwood in south west Sydney has been sentenced for cultivating more than 1800 cannabis plants after pleading guilty to being a “crop sitter”.

Ngoc Chien Tran faced Gosford District Court on Monday where he was sentenced to two years and three months jail with a non-parole period of one year and two months.

With time already served since his arrest on August 4 last year he will be eligible for release on October 3, 2022.

It comes after Tran, 56, pleaded guilty to cultivating a large commercial quantity of cannabis, namely 632 plants, at Mangrove Mountain and knowingly taking part in the growing of a further 1248 plants at Douglas Park, south west of Sydney.

Tran was sentenced over two cannabis plantations on the Central Coast and south west of Sydney. Picture: NSW Police

He also pleaded guilty to dealing with the proceeds of crime after police seized $2075 in cash at the Sydney property.

An agreed set of facts states police from the Drug and Firearms Squad established Strike Force Harthouse in March last year to investigate the large scale cultivation of cannabis at 69 Berecry Rd, Mangrove Mountain, and 110 Prices Rd, Douglas Park.

Police conducted surveillance at the properties between March and June 8, last year, where they identified Tran at both properties and a co-offender Josefa Momoka at the Central Coast address.

Officers obtained a search warrant for the rural Mangrove Mountain property in May and located mature cannabis plants in black plastic pots supplied by a drip-fed irrigation system.

“The cannabis plants had buds which were sticky to touch,” the facts read.

Sticky situation — Tran was sentenced for cultivating cannabis. Picture: NSW Police

Police also located various fertilisers, a high pressure hose, other black posts and lighting fixtures hanging from the frame of a greenhouse.

Officers catalogued a total of 511 cannabis plants about 50-60cm tall and a further 121 plants about 30-40cm tall.

“Inside the residents, two rooms had been converted into drying rooms for cannabis which contained transformers, lighting, drying racks and air filter,” the facts state.

On July 8 police obtained another warrant for the Douglas Park address where they located 1248 cannabis plants ranging in height from 15cm to 70cm.

The court heard the plants at the Douglas Park address had an estimated street value of $4.4 million which was the cannabis task force’s single largest bust at the time.

Josefa Momoka, 25, (right) was arrested at the Mangrove Mountain property and later sentenced. Picture: NSW Police

Tran was arrested at the address and later told an interpreter all he knew was he was hired to look after the cannabis but declined to be interviewed further.

“It is agreed that the offender’s role is a crop sitter,” the facts state.

Meanwhile his co-offender Josefa Momoka, 25, of Granville, was sentenced to 18 months jail, with a non-parole period of nine months in February after pleading guilty to one count of cultivating a large commercial quantity of cannabis.

Momoka appeared in Gosford District Court where he pleaded guilty to his involvement in the cultivation of the 632 plants at Mangrove Mountain.

The court heard he had no involvement in the other crop at Douglas Park.