Half-a-million dollars of cannabis uncovered at a residential property in Horsham has allegedly been linked to a Vietnamese national arrested in Hamilton last month.
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Phuong Van Tran, 44, was arrested on March 19 and charged over his alleged involvement in a $140,000 cannabis drying operation found in a central Hamilton home.
The man was initially remanded in custody charged with possessing and trafficking cannabis.
The charges were this month upgraded to trafficking a commercial quantity of cannabis.
Mr Tran made a bail application in Warrnambool Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The court heard that evidence seized at the Hamilton property last month led to a search warrant at a Horsham property which uncovered 280 cannabis plants.
Detective Senior Constable Nick Roberts, of the Hamilton police crime investigation unit, said the drugs located at the Horsham property had an estimated street value of half-a-million dollars.
He said the cannabis grow-house was located in a residential street, included an electrical bypass system and was believed to be part of a larger criminal organisation.
The detective said Mr Tran's fingerprint was located on the globe of a heat lamp and CCTV footage from the Horsham address was streamed to the accused's phone.
The court heard the property's electricity account was in the name of Mr Tran's girlfriend, who he rang at the time of his arrest.
Mr Tran's wife, who told the court they had separated about 12 months ago, said she was willing to provide a $17,000 bail surety and allow the man to reside at her Melbourne home.
But magistrate Peter Mellas said the surety was not enough and that the man had failed to show exceptional circumstances why he should be bailed.
He said Mr Tran was in Australia on a bridging visa and that if released on bail, he could be placed in immigration detention and potentially deported.
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