NSW man pleads guilty to producing 14 tonnes of cannabis in 51 greenhouses in Qld
A western Sydney man has been sentenced to three years' jail for his role in a "sophisticated" drug operation involving 14 tonnes of cannabis uncovered in Queensland.
Truc Cao Hoang Nguyen was arrested in October 2022 after police raided a property at Isis Central, about 50 kilometres south-west of Bundaberg, and found 51 greenhouses.
Officers found more than 43,000 potted cannabis plants, equating to more than 14,000 kilograms.
Police also found 16 kilograms of marijuana seedlings.
Nguyen, 46, pleaded guilty in the District Court in Bundaberg on Monday to one count of producing a dangerous drug.
Crown prosecutor Hannah Mangione said Nguyen arrived on the farm in June 2022 and was promised a monthly salary.
The court heard Nguyen helped to clear the land, build the 80-metre-long greenhouses and equip them with lighting and water – and that six weeks after he and 13 co-workers arrived at the farm, 3,000 cannabis plants were delivered.
Ms Mangione said Nguyen assisted in the production of the marijuana.
In sentencing, Judge Vicki Loury, KC, acknowledged Nguyen's timely guilty plea and lack of criminal history.
She said it was appropriate for Nguyen to receive the same three-year head sentence as his co-offenders who had already faced court.
Judge Loury said the sentence recognised the seriousness of the "sophisticated" operation for commercial gain.
She considered his 376 days in custody as time served, and ordered Nguyen be released today, with the remaining two years of his sentence be suspended.
The court heard Nguyen's bank had foreclosed on his Sydney house while he was in custody, and he intended to return to New South Wales as soon as possible.
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