A court in Ballarat has sentenced a Vietnamese man on Wednesday to two years behind bars for his involvement in growing cannabis in a terraced house.

Tuan Tran, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of cultivating a commercial quantity of narcotic plants.

The court heard police found 180 cannabis plants after executing a search warrant at a Miners Rest property, west of Ballarat, in January.

Mr Tran was arrested after attempting to run away from police during the search.

He reportedly told police that he did not know the plants were illegal drugs and said that he had an arrangement with an unknown person; to water the plants every night and pay any bills sent to the property.

Mr Tran’s student visa had lapsed prior to his six-week offending period where he attended the house between December 1 of last year and January 18.

Judge Sue Pullen said she took into account submissions made by Tran’s lawyer that this was the first time the accused had been in trouble with police and would find custody harder due to his lack of English.

Tran’s lawyer also told the court his client, who was forced to stop studying due to a lack of funds for tuition, had pleaded guilty at the earliest possible chance.

Mr Tran’s two-year prison sentence has a non-parole period of 12 months. He has already spent 149 days in pre-sentence detention.

– with the Ballarat Courier