Two friends who set up a cannabis grow house in Canberra's south in a bid to help ease their financial hardship have avoided serving time behind bars.
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Hidden cameras installed following a tip off helped police bring down the hydroponic set up of more than 40 plants, which Zoran Milenkovic, 41, and Tomislav Tomas, 42, established inside a Fisher house in late 2014.
Police said they found the cannabis plants spread throughout rooms in the house as well as lighting, irrigation, climate control, and exhaust systems. Plastic sheeting was attached to the floor, walls and roof.
Milenkovic and Tomas each pleaded guilty to one charge of cultivating a trafficable quantity of cannabis and were sentenced in the ACT Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Barrister Ken Archer said the men, who grew up together in the ACT, had been experiencing financial woes and were looking for other sources of income when they made "some very poor judgments" in 2014.
Milenkovic's landscaping business had lost a significant amount of money from unprofitable contracts and his house burned down that year. Tomas's construction business had also incurred losses.
Mr Archer noted while the 43-plant crop had been described as sophisticated, the pair had created it with equipment bought from hardware stories and watched a YouTube video on how to grow cannabis.
Prosecutor Anthony Williamson argued Tomas should shoulder a greater burden since it was his rental property used for the drug enterprise.
Justice Burns said it was clear the operation had involved "a degree of sophistication and a significant degree of premeditation".
He acknowledged the men had been under financial strain, but said they had obviously been motivated by greed and clearly anticipated a significant profit from their crimes.
Justice Burns noted the men were otherwise of good character and said they had made significant contributions to their families and ACT community. They also posed a low risk of reoffending and had very good prospects for rehabilitation.
He sentenced Milenkovic to 15 months imprisonment, to be fully suspended upon entering a two-year good behaviour order, and ordered he perform 250 hours community service.
Tomas was handed an 18-month jail term, which was also fully suspended with a two-year good behaviour order. He must serve 300 hours of community service.
