Vietnamese students busted for crop sitting cannabis

Foreign students have been lured into Victoria’s $8 million illegal cannabis trade on the promise of quick and easy money.

Large amounts of Vietnamese students, on study visas, were found to be among the most vulnerable to organised crime gangs in the state, Herald Sun reports.

More than 20 students faced court last year in relation to the seizure of almost two tonnes of cannabis, with another 20 in court the previous year over 1100kg.

Foreign students on study visas were found to be among the most vulnerable to organised crime gangs

Court records revealed the properties would be established with plants and hydroponic gear, then left for ‘sitters’ to watch. 

One student said he was paid $500 for a week of work, which involved tending to crops and protecting the name of it’s organiser. 

Homes throughout Melbourne and rural Victoria have been involved in recent ‘crop-sitting’ busts, including properties in Ballarat, St Arnaud, Traralgon and Yarram.

In some instances, the student visas of sitters had lapsed years beforehand.

 Police escort a man charged with possessing and cultivating cannabis during a week of raids in Victoria last year

Hoang Viet Dang was jailed for 12 months in 2016 for crop-sitting, one of a ‘great number’ of young men from Vietnam looking for quick cash, Judge Jane Patrick said.    

‘I have sentenced many people such as yourself,’ Judge Patrick said.

Dang was caught sitting a 110kg cannabis crop in Mt Waverley while in Australia on a student visa. 

Indoor crops have been proven to yield larger, more potent harvests compared with outdoor counterparts, with a single indoor crop having a $1 million earning potential.

Dang was caught sitting a 110kg cannabis crop in Mt Waverley while in Australia on a student visa