by Cam Lucadou-Wells
An egg farmer who turned to growing cannabis when his business hit hard times has been jailed.
Mergin Drenica, 46, pleaded guilty at the Victorian County Court to cultivating and trafficking cannabis as well as dealing in proceeds of crime.
He was linked to a hydroponic crophouse in Bruce Street Dandenong, in which 146 plants weighing more than 18 kilos were seized during a police raid on 10 September 2020.
Police also seized a crop of 93 plants weighing 98 kilos, dried cannabis buds in plastic bags and $27,250 under a mattress at Drenica’s home in Frankston.
Judge Kevin Doyle on 15 August said Drenica reportedly received a “financial reward” for his “integral” role in tending crops “obviously produced for profit”.
It was not asserted he was the principal organiser or funder of the set-ups.
Whether Drenica grew it “at the behest of others” or “with others” was unclear.
The charges were serious, with the crop sizes both above the legally-defined commercial quantity, the judge noted.
It was unusual that offenders had a grow-house at home – which belied Drenica’s “lack of sophistication”.
The father-of-three from an Albanian background told a psychologist he had been motivated by significant financial stress and fear of losing his home.
His 26-acre egg farm in Swan Hill had become unprofitable – with chicken-feed prices soaring in 2019 due to drought.
He was under pressure to pay off a $673,000 mortgage on the farm, which was taken out against his own home. The home was owned outright by him and several relatives.
Since being released on bail, he’s earned $200,000-plus a year as a truck driver to meet the mortgage repayments.
Judge Doyle accepted that Drenica’s family would be in a precarious financial position if he was jailed.
Their circumstances were “unfortunate” but “not unusual” and didn’t meet the “stingent” test of “exceptional” hardship.
Drenica’s persistent depression and anxiety were also noted. They were caused by financial pressures and being a long-time carer of his wife, who was stricken with PTSD from growing up in Kosovo.
In a case where he was motivated by money, his mental health issues didn’t reduce his high moral culpability – but they would make his time in custody more onerous, Judge Doyle said.
With no previous convictions, Drenica’s rehabilitation prospects were “very good”. He’d not reoffended since being released on bail.
Drenica was jailed for eight months, followed by a 12-month community corrections order.
The CCO includes supervision, 160 hours of unpaid work and mental health treatment.
