'Debt, exploitation and a dirty mattress on the floor': the sad life of a cannabis crop sitter
A VIETNAMESE national who lost his job, overstayed his visa and borrowed money from loan sharks before he was "exploited" into acting as a crop sitter at a Muswellbrook hydroponic cannabis grow house will be out of jail next week.
Van Moui Nguyen, 56, slept on a mattress slumped in a room of the house in Midanga Avenue that was otherwise entirely "dedicated" to a million dollar cannabis cultivation and supply operation.
There were seven rooms, 188 cannabis plants, 1.4 kilograms of cannabis leaf, a large electrical power board, 136 transformers, 13 exhaust fans, 101 lamp shades and heat lamps and pipes running throughout the house, leading from the pot plants to a pump in the laundry and bathroom.
Police said the plants were worth $550,000 on the street while the cannabis leaf had an estimated potential street value of $460,000.
Investigators had figured the house was being used to grow cannabis because neighbours had been able to smell it from outside.
Once they opened the door, the stench hit them in the face.
Nguyen had earlier this year pleaded guilty to knowingly taking part in the cultivation of a commercial quantity of cannabis and supplying cannabis over his role at the bottom of the chain in the operation.
Judge Roy Ellis said on Friday that, in his experience, crop sitters take on all of the risk for very little reward and when police come knocking they're the ones left holding the bag while those higher up the chain are almost never arrested.
He said Nguyen had been "essentially taken advantage of" and exploited by organised crime figures who had set up the crop.
He said the 56-year-old had been sponsored by an employer and come to Australia on a visa five years ago.
But after three months that company "ceased to exist" and he was left on a farm with other migrant workers.
He was struggling financially, spoke very little English and was in Australia illegally after his visa expired when he was approached and asked to take care of "some plants".
"Coming from a farming background in Vietnam, he said yes to that although it is clear that he did realise at the end of the day that what he was doing was tending to cannabis plants and that was illegal," Judge Ellis said.
Judge Ellis said a psychologist had opined that Nguyen's decision to take on the crop sitting job needed to be understood within the context of his significant financial hardship, unstable visa status, linguistic barriers and psychological vulnerability.
He found Nguyen could be given essentially time served, sentencing him to a maximum of two years in jail, with a non-parole of 12 months, which will expire next week.
A VIETNAMESE national who lost his job, overstayed his visa and borrowed money from loan sharks before he was "exploited" into acting as a crop sitter at a Muswellbrook hydroponic cannabis grow house will be out of jail next week.
Van Moui Nguyen, 56, slept on a mattress slumped in a room of the house in Midanga Avenue that was otherwise entirely "dedicated" to a million dollar cannabis cultivation and supply operation.
There were seven rooms, 188 cannabis plants, 1.4 kilograms of cannabis leaf, a large electrical power board, 136 transformers, 13 exhaust fans, 101 lamp shades and heat lamps and pipes running throughout the house, leading from the pot plants to a pump in the laundry and bathroom.
Police said the plants were worth $550,000 on the street while the cannabis leaf had an estimated potential street value of $460,000.
Investigators had figured the house was being used to grow cannabis because neighbours had been able to smell it from outside.
Once they opened the door, the stench hit them in the face.
Nguyen had earlier this year pleaded guilty to knowingly taking part in the cultivation of a commercial quantity of cannabis and supplying cannabis over his role at the bottom of the chain in the operation.
Judge Roy Ellis said on Friday that, in his experience, crop sitters take on all of the risk for very little reward and when police come knocking they're the ones left holding the bag while those higher up the chain are almost never arrested.
He said Nguyen had been "essentially taken advantage of" and exploited by organised crime figures who had set up the crop.
He said the 56-year-old had been sponsored by an employer and come to Australia on a visa five years ago.
But after three months that company "ceased to exist" and he was left on a farm with other migrant workers.
He was struggling financially, spoke very little English and was in Australia illegally after his visa expired when he was approached and asked to take care of "some plants".
"Coming from a farming background in Vietnam, he said yes to that although it is clear that he did realise at the end of the day that what he was doing was tending to cannabis plants and that was illegal," Judge Ellis said.
Judge Ellis said a psychologist had opined that Nguyen's decision to take on the crop sitting job needed to be understood within the context of his significant financial hardship, unstable visa status, linguistic barriers and psychological vulnerability.
He found Nguyen could be given essentially time served, sentencing him to a maximum of two years in jail, with a non-parole of 12 months, which will expire next week.
A VIETNAMESE national who lost his job, overstayed his visa and borrowed money from loan sharks before he was "exploited" into acting as a crop sitter at a Muswellbrook hydroponic cannabis grow house will be out of jail next week.
Van Moui Nguyen, 56, slept on a mattress slumped in a room of the house in Midanga Avenue that was otherwise entirely "dedicated" to a million dollar cannabis cultivation and supply operation.
There were seven rooms, 188 cannabis plants, 1.4 kilograms of cannabis leaf, a large electrical power board, 136 transformers, 13 exhaust fans, 101 lamp shades and heat lamps and pipes running throughout the house, leading from the pot plants to a pump in the laundry and bathroom.
Police said the plants were worth $550,000 on the street while the cannabis leaf had an estimated potential street value of $460,000.
Investigators had figured the house was being used to grow cannabis because neighbours had been able to smell it from outside.
Once they opened the door, the stench hit them in the face.
Nguyen had earlier this year pleaded guilty to knowingly taking part in the cultivation of a commercial quantity of cannabis and supplying cannabis over his role at the bottom of the chain in the operation.
Judge Roy Ellis said on Friday that, in his experience, crop sitters take on all of the risk for very little reward and when police come knocking they're the ones left holding the bag while those higher up the chain are almost never arrested.
He said Nguyen had been "essentially taken advantage of" and exploited by organised crime figures who had set up the crop.
He said the 56-year-old had been sponsored by an employer and come to Australia on a visa five years ago.
But after three months that company "ceased to exist" and he was left on a farm with other migrant workers.
He was struggling financially, spoke very little English and was in Australia illegally after his visa expired when he was approached and asked to take care of "some plants".
"Coming from a farming background in Vietnam, he said yes to that although it is clear that he did realise at the end of the day that what he was doing was tending to cannabis plants and that was illegal," Judge Ellis said.
Judge Ellis said a psychologist had opined that Nguyen's decision to take on the crop sitting job needed to be understood within the context of his significant financial hardship, unstable visa status, linguistic barriers and psychological vulnerability.
He found Nguyen could be given essentially time served, sentencing him to a maximum of two years in jail, with a non-parole of 12 months, which will expire next week.
A VIETNAMESE national who lost his job, overstayed his visa and borrowed money from loan sharks before he was "exploited" into acting as a crop sitter at a Muswellbrook hydroponic cannabis grow house will be out of jail next week.
Van Moui Nguyen, 56, slept on a mattress slumped in a room of the house in Midanga Avenue that was otherwise entirely "dedicated" to a million dollar cannabis cultivation and supply operation.
There were seven rooms, 188 cannabis plants, 1.4 kilograms of cannabis leaf, a large electrical power board, 136 transformers, 13 exhaust fans, 101 lamp shades and heat lamps and pipes running throughout the house, leading from the pot plants to a pump in the laundry and bathroom.
Police said the plants were worth $550,000 on the street while the cannabis leaf had an estimated potential street value of $460,000.
Investigators had figured the house was being used to grow cannabis because neighbours had been able to smell it from outside.
Once they opened the door, the stench hit them in the face.
Nguyen had earlier this year pleaded guilty to knowingly taking part in the cultivation of a commercial quantity of cannabis and supplying cannabis over his role at the bottom of the chain in the operation.
Judge Roy Ellis said on Friday that, in his experience, crop sitters take on all of the risk for very little reward and when police come knocking they're the ones left holding the bag while those higher up the chain are almost never arrested.
He said Nguyen had been "essentially taken advantage of" and exploited by organised crime figures who had set up the crop.
He said the 56-year-old had been sponsored by an employer and come to Australia on a visa five years ago.
But after three months that company "ceased to exist" and he was left on a farm with other migrant workers.
He was struggling financially, spoke very little English and was in Australia illegally after his visa expired when he was approached and asked to take care of "some plants".
"Coming from a farming background in Vietnam, he said yes to that although it is clear that he did realise at the end of the day that what he was doing was tending to cannabis plants and that was illegal," Judge Ellis said.
Judge Ellis said a psychologist had opined that Nguyen's decision to take on the crop sitting job needed to be understood within the context of his significant financial hardship, unstable visa status, linguistic barriers and psychological vulnerability.
He found Nguyen could be given essentially time served, sentencing him to a maximum of two years in jail, with a non-parole of 12 months, which will expire next week.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
'Calculated Democrat policy': Blaming Donald Trump for Los Angeles riots may have worked in the past but times have changed
As left-wing riots overtake Los Angeles, powerful Democrats continue making excuses for the lawlessness and disorder plaguing America's second-largest city. The continuing mayhem is just the latest result of a permissive culture of violence that has become normalised on the political left. President Donald Trump must take action to put down the LA riots swiftly, and with force if need-be, to send a clear message: Violence will not be tolerated on American streets. Right now, Los Angeles looks like a scene from a dystopian film. Hordes of rioters continue to block freeways, burn cars, loot businesses, throw rocks at moving vehicles, and commit violence against law enforcement officials - all while wearing masks and waving Mexican flags. The chaos is ostensibly an effort to protest the detainment of illegal immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during recent raids targeting criminals. Who were the migrants that ICE arrested? They weren't the sobbing women and children the media loves to conjure images of during any discussions of deportations. Many of the illegal immigrants detained during the LA raids are hardened criminals who deserve to spend many years behind bars- let alone be deported. One migrant nabbed by ICE was a Vietnamese national convicted of carrying out a mass shooting at a high school graduation party, which resulted in two teens being killed and seven being wounded. Other detainees from the raids include criminals convicted for sexual assault, gang activity, and murder. Over the weekend, protesters attempted to block ICE agents from carrying out the raids and surrounded a detention centre in downtown Los Angeles. It wasn't long before the protest grew in size, devolving into an unruly, violent riot. To be clear, left-wingers are protesting on behalf of sex offenders, child molesters, gang members, and murderers. State and local leaders do not have the situation under control. But Democrats and analysists in the mainstream press condone and downplay lawlessness. California Senator Alex Padilla assured viewers on the cable news channel MSNBC, 'the vast majority of protesters and demonstrators are peaceful'. Former Vice President Kamala Harris called the unrest 'overwhelmingly peaceful.' ABC Los Angeles reporter Jory Rand said that by interfering, law enforcement risks turning 'what is just a bunch of people having fun watching cars burn into a massive confrontation and altercation between officers and demonstrators'. Former Vice President Kamala Harris called the unrest 'overwhelmingly peaceful'. Democrats are also blaming Trump for any escalation. California Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass are complaining that Trump deployed the National Guard and the Marines to stop the violence - even though local leaders have done little to quell the lawlessness. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on X, 'California Governor Newsom didn't request the National Guard to be deployed to his state following peaceful demonstrations. Trump sent them anyway.' New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez downplayed the mayhem as mere 'teens' throwing rocks, and blamed 'violent' ICE raids for sparking chaos. Sadly, the madness is only the latest example of Democrats excusing violence committed by their own voting base. During the summer of 2020, Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters were allowed to burn down American cities for months with impunity - small businesses, private homes, cars, churches, and police departments were set on fire by rioters. At the same time, mainstream Democrats like Kamala Harris raised money to release those who had been arrested from jail. Americans watched roving gangs burn down main streets, while lawmakers demanded that law-abiding families cower in their homes, not go to work, and not send their kids to school because of Covid. But left-wing radicalism and violent behavior had already been on the rise before the summer of BLM. The day of Trump's first inauguration in 2017, police arrested more than 200 liberal rioters. Those riots injured six cops and caused millions of dollars in damage. Democrats love to cite platitudes about unity and civility, but many of these same people will turn the other way when their own voting base commits mob-like or violent behavior. An Antifa crowd beat people in Portland, Oregon. College campuses were overtaken by unruly mobs due to speakers who hold views that don't align with the left. Republican Congressman Steve Scalise was shot by a crazed Bernie Sanders supporter. Private citizens had their cars set ablaze for driving Teslas. Trump himself was shot during a campaign rally last summer. At this point, most Americans understand that Democrats' pearl clutching and cries regarding civility during the January 6 protests were never sincere. Today's left wing is perfectly fine with lawlessness, as long as the lawless behavior is being committed in service of their own ideology. Blaming Trump for the violence in Los Angeles may have worked in the past, but it likely won't work this time. Americans voted for Donald Trump in record numbers last November, in part, because he promised to bring law and order back to the streets. Voters also chose Trump because of his vow to address the impacts of the open southern border under former President Joe Biden. The impacts of over 10 million illegal immigrants entering the United States during the Biden Administration are immense: drugs that killed more than 80,000 in the US last year alone have flowed into the country, rising crime has gripped inner cities, hospitals are overwhelmed, and school systems are flooded with non-English speakers. President Trump must do whatever necessary to end the left-wing riots unleashing terror on Los Angeles. Calling in the National Guard and the Marines is a good first step. Every person who breaks the law must be arrested and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law - no more slaps on the wrist, or get out of jail free cards, like we saw in 2020. Examples must be made out of the criminals trying to destabilise and burn down US cities. The one bright side is that the US doesn't have a president who fears negative media coverage. It's time to give Americans what they voted for and make America safe again. Kristin Tate is a US-based writer. She pens a weekly column for The Messenger focused on federal spending and has written three books, the most recent of which is titled 'The Liberal Invasion of Red State America'. She is a contributor for Sky News and appears weekly to discuss US politics
The Age
6 hours ago
- The Age
‘We're lucky we didn't die': Driver tells of terror during Princes Freeway crash caused by roadworks
'After that, [while] I was still talking to the cops, an abalone truck did exactly what I did – skidded left, then skidded right, and then he flipped right in front of me and slid an extra 100 metres past me. 'If I was on the road still, he would have run right into me. I watched him like I was in a movie.' Nguyen saw a few other cars hit either the exposed road or the loose plate before police arrived and closed the freeway. 'If they didn't close the road it could have been murder, man,' he said. Nguyen was one of five drivers involved in collisions on the freeway at Werribee, in Melbourne's outer west, about 4.20am on Wednesday after work on the same stretch of road earlier that morning. The crashes caused major disruptions and hours-long delays for thousands of drivers, closing the city-bound lanes of the main road between Geelong and Melbourne for much of the day. A 200-kilogram steel plate that came loose was blamed for causing the four cars and a truck to crash. The truck rolled and spilled diesel across the lanes. The temporary steel plate was put over an expansion joint at the Duncans Road bridge near Werribee after routine maintenance work was completed at 3am. The plate quickly came loose, exposing the steel spikes of the joint and causing vehicles to crash as they drove over it. The Department of Transport's executive director of road maintenance, Michael Bailey, apologised on Wednesday afternoon for the incident, which he blamed on 'human error'. Bailey said multiple road maintenance firms had been involved in the work to replace the expansion joint. He said a temporary plate was bolted into place over the joint, but it was not clear if it had been secured with asphalt too, as would typically happen. Transport Department officers had been on site during the job and deemed that the work was up to standard. 'They were very satisfied,' Bailey said. 'The plate installed was deemed safe at 3am. By 4am the plate had become loose. There's a failing by someone at some point.' The Department of Transport and Planning is understood to be contacting drivers whose vehicles were damaged in the incident and investigating how the steel plate dislodged. The crash has left Nguyen's $50,000 van a write-off. He needs the vehicle for his livelihood carting Asian vegetables grown at his market garden in Anakie, north of Geelong, to sell at Box Hill in Melbourne's east. Nguyen is one of five motorists weighing up whether to seek compensation from the government, or use their insurance to cover repair costs. In Victoria, the Department of Transport and Planning is liable for any damage to vehicles caused by the roads it maintains, provided the cost of that damage is greater than $1640. On Wednesday, Bailey said the department would consider paying for repairs below the $1640 threshold as well. People can lodge notice of incident and claim forms if they feel the government is liable for the damage, and can request a review if they are unhappy with the resulting assessment. Nguyen said his van was worth about $55,000, and that by early Thursday afternoon he was yet to hear from anyone from the Transport Department. Nguyen said his van was insured, but that he would still have to pay an excess of $1500 to get it repaired. Heath Shepherd was travelling not far behind Nguyen in his Nissan Qashqai. The first thing he saw was hazard lights in the distance. 'As I'm driving, the car in front of me swerved to his right, hit the plate, and I tried to swerve left but got the full brunt of [the hole],' he said. 'It hit the left-hand tyre, under the radiator. I don't know how much damage there is yet because it hasn't been assessed.' Like Nguyen, Shepherd had also just discovered on Thursday that he has to pay an excess on his insurance, even though the damage to his vehicle wasn't his fault. Loading 'I just found out when I did the online form through Bingle, and because there were no [other] cars involved [in the crash] we have to pay an excess, which I find a bit hard to stomach,' he said. 'I think it's about $1000.' Shepherd said the tyres and rims on his car were write-offs, and he's waiting to see if the Nissan's undercarriage was also damaged, adding further costs to the repair. Nguyen said a Country Fire Authority volunteer took a photo of the hole in the road and showed it to the people who crashed, but it wasn't until he saw TV footage hours later that he realised how big it was. 'We're lucky we didn't die,' he said. He's since had to hire a van at a cost of $550 a week to continue making deliveries to Box Hill. He even salvaged some of the vegetables from his damaged van and continued on to the market after the crash to recoup some money. Shepherd is a truck driver who lives in Craigieburn, but was in Ocean Grove for a fortnightly stay in his caravan. He starts work early each morning, which is why he was driving on the Princes Freeway just after 4am on Wednesday. He said he was also facing daily dilemmas as a result of the crash. 'I'm using my daughter's car at the moment because I still have to go to work every day, and then I've got to take my wife's car the next day because my daughter's got something on – she has to work herself,' he said. 'I haven't been offered a hire car or anything like that while I get my car fixed.' Matt Naughtin, of Zaparas Lawyers, said the firm was contacted by one person injured as a result of the incident and was acting on their behalf. 'The fact that multiple vehicles were involved, including a truck rollover, underscores the potential for catastrophic outcomes,' he said.
Sydney Morning Herald
16 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘We're lucky we didn't die': Driver tells of terror during Princes Freeway crash caused by road works
'After that, [while] I was still talking to the cops, an abalone truck did exactly what I did – skidded left, then skidded right, and then he flipped right in front of me and slid an extra 100 metres past me. 'If I was on the road still, he would have run right into me. I watched him like I was in a movie.' Nguyen saw a few other cars hit either the exposed road or the loose plate before police arrived and closed the freeway. 'If they didn't close the road it could have been murder, man,' he said. Nguyen was one of five drivers involved in collisions on the freeway at Werribee, in Melbourne's outer west, about 4.20am on Wednesday following road works on the same stretch of road earlier that morning. The crashes caused major disruptions and hours-long delays for thousands of drivers, closing the city-bound lanes of the main road between Geelong and Melbourne for much of the day. A 200-kilogram steel plate that came loose was blamed for causing the four cars and a truck to crash. The truck rolled and spilled diesel across the lanes. The temporary steel plate was put over an expansion joint at the Duncans Road bridge near Werribee, following routine maintenance work which was completed at 3am. The plate quickly came loose, exposing the steel spikes of the joint and causing vehicles to crash as they drove over it. The Department of Transport's executive director of road maintenance Michael Bailey apologised on Wednesday afternoon for the incident, which he blamed on 'human error'. Bailey said multiple road maintenance firms had been involved in the works to replace the expansion joint. He said a temporary plate had been bolted into place over the joint, but it was not clear if it had been secured with asphalt too, as would typically happen. Transport department officers had been on site during the job and had deemed that the work was up to standard. 'They were very satisfied,' Bailey said. 'The plate installed was deemed safe at 3am. By 4am the plate had become loose. There's a failing by someone at some point.' The crash has left Nguyen's $50,000 van a write-off. He needs the vehicle for his livelihood carting Asian vegetables grown at his market garden in Anakie, north of Geelong, to sell at Box Hill in Melbourne's east. Nguyen is one of five motorists now weighing up whether to seek compensation from the government, or use their insurance to cover the cost of repairs. In Victoria, the Department of Transport and Planning is liable for any damage to vehicles caused by the roads it maintains, provided the cost of that damage is greater than $1640. On Wednesday, Bailey said the department would consider paying for repairs below the $1640 threshold as well. People can lodge notice of incident and claim forms if they feel the government is liable for the damage, and can request a review if they are unhappy with the resulting assessment. Nguyen said his van was worth about $55,000, and that by early Thursday afternoon he was yet to hear from anyone from the transport department. Nguyen said his van was insured, but that he would still have to pay an excess of $1500 to get it repaired. Heath Shepherd was travelling not far behind Nguyen in his Nissan Qashqai. The first thing he saw was hazard lights in the distance. 'As I'm driving, the car in front of me swerved to his right, hit the plate, and I tried to swerve left but got the full brunt of [the hole],' he said. 'It hit the left-hand tyre, under the radiator. I don't know how much damage there is yet because it hasn't been assessed.' Like Nguyen, Shepherd had also just discovered on Thursday that he has to pay an excess on his insurance, even though the damage to his vehicle wasn't his fault. 'I just found out when I did the online form through Bingle, and because there were no [other] cars involved [in the crash] we have to pay an excess, which I find a bit hard to stomach,' he said. Loading 'I think it's about $1000.' Shepherd said the tyres and rims on his car were write-offs, and he's waiting to see if the Nissan's undercarriage was also damaged, adding further costs to the repair job. Nguyen said a Country Fire Authority volunteer took a photo of the hole in the road and showed it to the people who crashed, but it wasn't until he saw TV footage hours later that he realised how big it was. 'We're lucky we didn't die,' he said. He's since had to hire a van at about $550 a week to continue making deliveries to Box Hill. He even salvaged some of the vegetables from his damaged van and continued on to the market after the crash to recoup some money. Shepherd is a truck driver who lives in Craigieburn, but was down in Ocean Grove for a fortnightly stay in his caravan. He starts work early each morning, which is why he was driving on the Princes Freeway just after 4am on Wednesday. He said he was also facing daily dilemmas as a result of the crash. 'I'm using my daughter's car at the moment because I still have to go to work every day, and then I've got to take my wife's car the next day because my daughter's got something on – she has to work herself,' he said.
