Huat Tai, 21, was convicted of cultivating a large commercial quantity of cannabis at Goulburn District Court on February 4. He appeared via audio visual link from custody with the assistance of a Malay interpreter.

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Judge Mark Williams told the court that on June 5, 2020 police attended a site at Marulan where they found a cannabis plantation with 2243 plants. He said the plants were located on a large rural property with a number of tunnels.

The judge told the court that Tai had evaded police by running away and hiding in bushland.

He said that after encouragement from his mother, "the offender handed himself into Goulburn Police Station three days later".

Judge Williams said the 21-year-old from Malaysia had come to Australia when he was in his late-teens after he finished high school.

"In late 2019 he worked as an electrician and then got a job growing cannabis," he said.

The judge presented to the court that Tai was told cannabis was legal in Australia.

"He searched online after he took the job and discovered it was illegal but he needed the money," he said.

"He expected he could earn $20,000 a month but hadn't been paid."

Judge Williams told the court that Tai worked from 7am to 5pm tending the plants

Barrister Evan James said his client had no role in the set up or financing of the operation. He described Tai's role as "that of a plant sitter or maintenance person".

Police prosecutor Simone Foggo said she was "skeptical [Tai] thought cannabis was legal given the financial reward given to him".

Judge Williams took Tai's early guilty plea and surrender to police into account. He was granted a 40 per cent discount on his sentence.

He said full time custody was "more difficult [for Tai] due to a language barrier and lack of family support".

Tai was convicted and sentenced to 21-months imprisonment with a non-parole period of 11 months. His sentence was back-dated to the time of arrest.