Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
The caretaker of a Huntly house that had been entirely converted into an intensive marijuana-growing operation has been jailed for two years and two months.
And Hai Le Minh, 35, a Vietnamese national, faces the prospect of deportation once he becomes eligible for parole.
It is a prospect he welcomes, his lawyer says, because he had been living an impoverished lifestyle in New Zealand, having effectively been exploited by his employers in a series of low-paid jobs.
It was in the last of these jobs - as in-house gardener - that the police found him.
Le Minh was the sole occupant of the Huntly home which was raided on June 22. Inside was a sophisticated growing operation in which the entire house had been converted with fans and lighting installed in each room.
In four rooms were 200 mature plants. There was also one room devoted to the growing of seedlings, and one for drying out cannabis.
According to the police summary of facts, the operation was capable of producing more than $31,000 per grow, with a yield coming every four months.
The cannabis was, in total, worth about $125,000 at the time it was seized by the police.
The house was one of three that were the focus of cannabis busts around the same time by the police. Another man and a woman - also illegal immigrants, according to the police - were arrested.
Le Minh was charged with cultivating cannabis and possession of cannabis for supply - charges that come with maximum penalties of seven years and eight years in prison respectively.
He rapidly plead guilty and on Wednesday was sentenced in the Hamilton District Court by Judge Merelina Burnett.
Defense counsel Thomas Sutcliffe said Le Minh had come to New Zealand some years ago on a student visa which had now long since expired. He had remained in the country on a "subsistence lifestyle", surviving on a series of jobs which came with minimal wages.
"There is an element of exploitation of him by members of his own community, who have employed him at low rates of pay. The enterprise that brings him before the court is one of those," Sutcliffe said.
"This offender's role was merely that of a gardener. He has no worldly wealth to speak of. He was sleeping on a mattress on the floor in a room of the house which was set up purely for the purpose of growing cannabis.
"This man had neither the means nor the ability to undertake anything like this under his own steam ... While this operation was clearly substantial and he played a role for this operation to occur, he was on the lowest rung of what was occurring there.
"He is simply a worker and that should be reflected in the approach the court takes [in sentencing]."
Le Minh was looking forward to being sent back to Vietnam, Sutcliffe said.
"This is an opportunity to close this chapter of his life and go home."
Judge Burnett said it was unfortunate the police were not able to clarify Le Minh's exact role in the operation - "perhaps it was as a gardener or a custodian," she said.
From a starting point of three years and three months in prison, the judge allowed a full discount for his guilty plea and an addition discount because he would be deported, ending with a jail term of two years and two months.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Exploited migrant faces deportation after Cannabis house bust | Stuff.co.nz
Author: Mike Mather
Contact: Contact Us | Stuff.co.nz
Photo Credit: WAIKATO POLICE
Website: Latest breaking news NZ | Stuff.co.nz
And Hai Le Minh, 35, a Vietnamese national, faces the prospect of deportation once he becomes eligible for parole.
It is a prospect he welcomes, his lawyer says, because he had been living an impoverished lifestyle in New Zealand, having effectively been exploited by his employers in a series of low-paid jobs.
It was in the last of these jobs - as in-house gardener - that the police found him.
Le Minh was the sole occupant of the Huntly home which was raided on June 22. Inside was a sophisticated growing operation in which the entire house had been converted with fans and lighting installed in each room.
In four rooms were 200 mature plants. There was also one room devoted to the growing of seedlings, and one for drying out cannabis.
According to the police summary of facts, the operation was capable of producing more than $31,000 per grow, with a yield coming every four months.
The cannabis was, in total, worth about $125,000 at the time it was seized by the police.
The house was one of three that were the focus of cannabis busts around the same time by the police. Another man and a woman - also illegal immigrants, according to the police - were arrested.
Le Minh was charged with cultivating cannabis and possession of cannabis for supply - charges that come with maximum penalties of seven years and eight years in prison respectively.
He rapidly plead guilty and on Wednesday was sentenced in the Hamilton District Court by Judge Merelina Burnett.
Defense counsel Thomas Sutcliffe said Le Minh had come to New Zealand some years ago on a student visa which had now long since expired. He had remained in the country on a "subsistence lifestyle", surviving on a series of jobs which came with minimal wages.
"There is an element of exploitation of him by members of his own community, who have employed him at low rates of pay. The enterprise that brings him before the court is one of those," Sutcliffe said.
"This offender's role was merely that of a gardener. He has no worldly wealth to speak of. He was sleeping on a mattress on the floor in a room of the house which was set up purely for the purpose of growing cannabis.
"This man had neither the means nor the ability to undertake anything like this under his own steam ... While this operation was clearly substantial and he played a role for this operation to occur, he was on the lowest rung of what was occurring there.
"He is simply a worker and that should be reflected in the approach the court takes [in sentencing]."
Le Minh was looking forward to being sent back to Vietnam, Sutcliffe said.
"This is an opportunity to close this chapter of his life and go home."
Judge Burnett said it was unfortunate the police were not able to clarify Le Minh's exact role in the operation - "perhaps it was as a gardener or a custodian," she said.
From a starting point of three years and three months in prison, the judge allowed a full discount for his guilty plea and an addition discount because he would be deported, ending with a jail term of two years and two months.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Exploited migrant faces deportation after Cannabis house bust | Stuff.co.nz
Author: Mike Mather
Contact: Contact Us | Stuff.co.nz
Photo Credit: WAIKATO POLICE
Website: Latest breaking news NZ | Stuff.co.nz
