Thi Hue Tran Sentenced Following Cannabis Farm Arrest

Thi Hue Tran, a 32-year-old Vietnamese national, was sentenced today in Wollongong District Court in connection with her arrest at a cannabis farm in Calderwood, south of Wollongong. Tran was one of 10 individuals, predominantly Vietnamese nationals, apprehended during a police raid in May 2024.

This raid was part of a larger police operation targeting a transnational organized crime syndicate, which led to 19 arrests and the confiscation of over $80 million worth of cannabis.

Court Decision and Sentence Details

Approximately 100 kilograms of cannabis leaf were discovered at the Calderwood Road property where Tran was arrested. Tran pleaded guilty to one charge of being part of a criminal group and one charge of supplying an illegal drug.

Judge Imad Abdul-Karim sentenced her to a community correction order and a fixed-term imprisonment of one year and 11 days.

Tran will not serve additional time, having spent nearly 13 months under house arrest.

Tran's Defence and Background

Court proceedings indicated Tran had relocated to Australia eight months prior to the raid. She stated she was seeking employment to support her children and parents.

Tran claimed she was offered a cleaning job in Calderwood with a daily payment of $350 and arrived at the property two days before the police operation. She maintained she was unaware the operation involved cannabis. Her DNA was not located on any cannabis products.

Judge Abdul-Karim characterized her actions as "reckless to [the] fact that leaf bud was an illegal drug" and accepted her expression of remorse.

Details of the Calderwood Raid

The police operation uncovered six commercial greenhouses and an industrial shed containing harvested cannabis leaf at the Calderwood Road property. This specific raid contributed to the broader syndicate operation's success, which seized over $80 million worth of cannabis and resulted in 19 total arrests.