Raymond and Codie Hay: Father and son hydro cannabis growers sentenced
The cannabis bud didn’t fall far from the bush for one Central Coast father and son, who were sentenced after police caught them hydroponically growing plants in two rented storage sheds.
Central Coast
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A public tip off, an unpaid electricity bill and an incriminating photo found on a suspect’s phone led police to discover two hydroponic cannabis set ups in rented storage sheds at Tuggerah, a court has heard.
Raymond Vincent Hay, 50, of Watanobbi, and his son Codie Hay, 27, of Killarney Vale, were sentenced in Gosford District Court on Tuesday over their respective roles in the “sophisticated” cultivation of 77 hydroponic cannabis plants.
An agreed statement of police facts states police were called to a storage shed at 4/198 Pacific Highway at Tuggerah about 5pm on September 18 last year following a report the site was being used to cultivate cannabis.
Police attended and spoke to Raymond Hay who directed them to a shipping container on the site.
About 7.15pm police were given access to the shipping container and found a hydroponic set up, “which consisted of lighting, transformers, electrical timers, air filters, a watering system and a carbon dioxide gas cylinder with monitors”.
Raymond Hay had been leasing the shed for eight months prior and was paying $300 a week.
About 7.40pm Codie drove his vehicle into the complex where he explained he was in search of his dad and pointed to Raymond’s car that was parked nearby.
He said he never visited the storage shed previously and didn’t know what was inside before leaving.
The facts state an Ausgrid technician was called to render the shipping container safe and it was discovered alterations had been made to the power box to allow electricity to the premises without the occupant being billed.
Inside the shipping container they found four drums of fertiliser with words “Sold Ray” written on them in black marker, an industrial sized mulcher, 14 cannabis plants and 380g cannabis leaf.
During a search of Raymond’s car police located and seized an overdue electricity bill from Energy Australia dated June 5, 2019.
The bill was in the name of Codie Hay with the service address of a storage shed at 2/9 Mildon Rd.
Codie had been leasing the shed since May 1, 2018 and was paying $1100 a month.
About 10.55pm that evening police entered the Mildon Rd shed and found “a makeshift room running along the right hand side of the shed housing a hydroponic set up”.
“The hydroponic set up consisted of cannabis plants growing under metal halide lighting and transformers, electrical timers, fans, an aircondition unit, air filters, a watering system and a carbon dioxide gas cylinder with monitors,” the facts read.
“There was also a large power board at the end of the room.”
The court heard police were able to link Codie to his father’s Pacific Highway shed after they found his fingerprint on a transformer seized from inside the shipping container.
The court further heard police were able to link Raymond to Codie’s Mildon Rd shed from a photograph found on Raymond’s phone showing Codie standing in his shed holding cannabis.
They also found a text on his phone which read: “Hi Ray, could you or Codie call me RE 2/9 Mildon Rd. The owner has approved you going in on my recommendation. I need to go through a few things for the lease, Regards, Chris”.
Codie was charged with cultivating 63 cannabis plants at his Mildon Rd shed.
A further charge of knowingly take part in the cultivation of 14 cannabis plants at his father’s shed was also taken into account at his sentencing.
Raymond was charged with cultivating 14 plants and supplying 380g of cannabis leaf while a further offence of knowingly take part in the cultivation of 29 of the 63 plants found at Codie’s Pacific Highway shed was also taken into account.
The court heard Raymond Hay told police the shipping container had all the equipment already installed when he got it and grew the cannabis to extract oil and make a “butter” he wanted to give to his partner to treat her undiagnosed mental health issues.
However he told officers he’d given up because he didn’t know how to do it.
“The crown accepts there is no evidence Raymond was involved beyond the initial set up of the cultivation at the Mildon Rd storage shed,” the facts state.
The court heard Codie was spiralling into a “hole of no return” and smoking 28g of cannabis a day.
He later told a psychologist he was anxious to secure a “steady supply” of cannabis for his own use.
However Judge Tanya Bright said while there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond doubt he was selling it commercially she found it “quite incredulous” he was able to fund the “sophisticated” set up and pay $1100 a month rent solely for his own use.
“Sixty three plants is excessive for personal use,” she said.
The court heard Raymond was remanded in custody for six and a half months until he was granted bail.
He was sentenced to a 12-month intensive corrections order (ICO), of which he will have to serve the remainder of his five months and 16 days in the community under supervision.
He was also put on a community corrections order for a further two years.
Codie was sentenced to a two-year (ICO) less the two months and four days he spent in custody following his arrest.
He will be assessed to see if he is suitable to serve nine months of that sentence with a home detention condition.
Codie was also ordered to undertake 200 hours of community service.
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