Vietnamese dropout jailed over $1m cannabis haul

AN international student who had dropped out of his business studies will serve three years behind bars after he was caught red-handed running nearly $1 million worth of drugs into the Territory.

Duc Duong, 28, pleaded guilty earlier this month in the Supreme Court to supplying a commercial quantity of cannabis, having been caught by undercover cops in June last year as he handed off most of the 28.3kg of dope he drove in from Bankstown in Sydney’s western suburbs.

Duong, a Vietnamese national, had overstayed his visa and was in the country unlawfully by the time he was caught drug running

Duong’s lawyer, Myles Gillard, said his client had been lumped with huge student debts and medical bills, forcing him to couch surf and to do odd cash jobs to make ends meet. According to police, the drugs had a street value in the Territory of up to $850,000.

Crown Prosecutor Collette Dixon said Duong packed the drugs into two suitcases and loaded them into a rental car, but crashed it on the way to Darwin, near Roma, forcing him to return to Toowoomba to get a replacement car and continue his trip.

She said Duong came to the attention of police as a result of surveillance on another man, William McDonald, who was ultimately arrested alongside Duong and a third man, Tuan Le. When confronted by undercover police in the Rydges Hotel car park in Palmerston as he handed over 18.5kg of the drugs to a local contact, Duong said he thought the suitcases contained dog and cat food.

Justice Trevor Riley said it was unknown what Duong was to be paid for his efforts, and whether he was a mere courier or had a stake in the drug supply operation.

“Cannabis is a widely used drug in the Northern Territory, which causes serious social dysfunction and damage to users and their families, particularly vulnerable Aboriginal communities,” Justice Riley said. Duong was sentenced to five years jail, to be suspended after three years.

He is likely to be deported when released.