Cambelltown cannabis house: Vietnamese national convicted of cultivating cannabis says he thought it was a “normal job”
A Vietnamese national has been sent to jail for watering more than 300 cannabis plants twice a week. The man told the court in a letter he thought it was a ‘normal job in Australia’.
Macarthur
Don't miss out on the headlines from Macarthur. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Mental health concern for man who enticed boy for oral sex
- Stolen generation memorial ‘maliciously’ defaced
An unsuspecting suburban home in the heart of Campbelltown has been uncovered as the base of an elaborate cannabis operation, with one of the men behind the enterprise convicted for his role on Friday.
Vietnamese national Cao Son Tran, of Cabramatta, was sentenced in Campbelltown District Court for his position as the operation’s ‘crop sitter’, watering and tending to the 314 cannabis plants twice a week.
The 46-year-old man, who arrived in Australia in April 2018 to provide financially for his family, pleaded guilty to cultivating a large commercial quantity of a prohibited plant across a four-week period after he was caught red-handed at the 27 Austin Ave, Campbelltown, address last year.
The agreed facts reveal every room of the home was packed with a “substantial” number of cannabis plants, heat lights, light shades, exhaust fans and watering systems. Some of the plants were more than 2m tall. An Endeavour Energy inspection found the house had “numerous” unmetered and illegal electricity connections.
Police arrived at the property on March 21 last year to execute a search warrant and approached Tran as he tried to enter a white Toyota van. When the police officers identified themselves, the 46-year-old attempted to push past police and had to be restrained.
He was arrested and found to be carrying $3150 cash, part of his monthly payment of about $5000.
Judge John Hatzistergos said he accepted Tran’s role in the entire cannabis operation was minor and on the lower end of objective seriousness.
“(His) role was limited to relatively unsophisticated horticultural assistance in relation to the propagation of the plants in accordance with the instructions he was given,” he said.
In a letter tendered to the court, the Vietnamese national apologised to “Australian citizen” and said he was struggling to provide financially for his family.
“When I had the hardest time with finance, they hired me to plant water for the cannabis,” the letter stated.
“They told me that it is a normal job in Australia. I agreed to do it and did not think too much.”
Tran was sentenced to three year and nine month jail term and will be eligible for parole on April 20, 2021.