A woman has been handed a prison sentence for her role as a gardener for a £100,000 south Cumbria cannabis farm — almost five years after the illegal operation was uncovered.
Thuy Nguyen, now aged 52, opened the door of an address at Church Hill in Arnside, in February 2017, to police called amid concerns about the property’s use.
Officers who noted a smell of cannabis from inside the address searched the house and found another Vietnamese national in a cellar, trying to hide in a wheelie bin. He was jailed for eight months in late 2017 having admitted cannabis production.
Nguyen initially denied the same charge but changed her plea to guilty at Carlisle Crown Court today.
Prosecutor Alistair Reid said 388 cannabis plants of varying stages of maturity had been found within bedrooms and an en suite bathroom as part of a “sophisticated” illegal enterprise. It was estimated the plants could have yielded almost 20kg of cannabis — potentially worth just under £99,000 if sold on the street.
Nguyen, of no fixed address, admitted cannabis production. Mr Reid told the court: “It is accepted this defendant performed a limited function, under direction, and was likely to be engaged by forms of control and coercion.”
Holly Menary, defending, confirmed Nguyen was a woman of previous good character. She had spent around nine months on remand in custody.
Judge Andrew Jefferies QC imposed a four-month jail term. This, he told Nguyen, was likely to result in her immediate release although she will be subject to post-sentence supervision.
“For a period of about a month, you were effectively a helper and gardener with your co-defendant,” Judge Jefferies told her. “You played a limited role under direction but the operation was a significant one.”
