A cannabis farm worker who was caught tending more than 1,500 plants in a Fleetwood house just months after being released from prison for an identical offence has been jailed.
Van Hung Nguyen, 28, of no fixed address, appeared at Preston Crown Court for sentence after admitting his role in the operation.
The court heard police executed a search warrant at a property in Lord Street, Fleetwood, on June 15 this year.
Recorder John Jones said officers discovered the terraced house had been converted into a cannabis farm stretching from the basement to the loft across five floors.
A total of 1,532 cannabis plants were recovered.
The judge said the property had been equipped with lighting and ventilation systems and had effectively been given over entirely to the production of cannabis.
Prosecutor Katie Lord said Nguyen had a previous conviction for an identical offence in October 2025 and had been sentenced to nine months in prison in December last year.
He was still on licence from that sentence when the latest offence was committed.
The court heard Nguyen arrived in the UK in 2025 after travelling from Vietnam in a lorry.
In mitigation, Rachel Woods said Nguyen had come to Britain hoping for a better life and the opportunity to work and send money home to his wife and two children in Vietnam.
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She said Nguyen had built up a debt to those who brought him into the country and had not found the lawful employment he had hoped for.
Instead, he became involved in cannabis farms, carrying out the role of a gardener while receiving food and accommodation.
The court heard Nguyen had been released from prison on January 27 this year after serving part of his previous sentence.
Ms Woods said he had attempted to find labouring work after his release but was later taken from Sheffield to Fleetwood and left at the property where he was eventually arrested.
She said Nguyen had pleaded guilty, regretted his actions, and wished to return to his family in Vietnam.
Sentencing him, Recorder Jones said the scale of the operation placed it at the very highest level of cannabis production.
The judge noted that Nguyen had committed the offence within five months of being released from prison for an almost identical matter.
Nguyen was jailed for 18 months.
Recorder Jones also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of all cannabis plants and equipment seized from the property.
The judge told Nguyen the sentence made him liable for deportation, although any decision would ultimately be made by the Home Office.
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