A cannabis farmer and his father have been fined $24,000 for growing and possessing drugs worth close to $130,000 on the street.

And Max Moniz was also jailed for 18 months when he and his father, Robert Norman Moniz, appeared for sentencing in Supreme Court yesterday. The pair had earlier pleaded guilty to drug possession and cultivation.

The court heard that Max Moniz, 28, had 1,916.3 grams of cannabis in his possession valued at $95,800 when Police searched his Homestead Lane home in January. Police found 291.45 grams of plant resin on the Moniz property in Southampton in addition to three fully grown cannabis plants.

Max Moniz, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of drug possession, drug cultivation, and possessing drug scales. He pleaded not guilty to possessing drugs with an intent to supply.

His father Robert Norman Moniz, 51, pleaded guilty to drug possession after Police discovered 662.8 grams of cannabis valued at $33,125 in his bedroom.

Assistant Justice Archibald Warner fined the father $10,000 for possessing cannabis.

Max Moniz was fined $10,000 for cultivating the three cannabis plants on his property. He was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment followed by a three year probation period during which he will undergo a drug treatment programme.

He was ordered to pay a $3,000 fine for the resin and an additional $1,000 fine for possessing drug scales.

Together the Moniz?s will end up paying a total of $24,000 in fines.

Defence lawyer Victoria Pearman told the court that Max Moniz bought the drug, grew it for his own personal use and ?foolishly? agreed to sell it in some cases. She said there was no evidence that this was a large cultivation of plants or that both were involved in a sophisticated drug operation.

Robert Moniz had admitted to occasionally selling joints valued at $10 each.

?In this case we have a man who is addicted to herb and has indulged in it since he was a teenager,? said Ms Pearman.

?That doesn?t detract from the problem of drug trafficking,? said Mr Warner.

Both defendants spoke about the personal stress the ordeal had cost them and their families. According to a social inquiry report Moniz Sr.had been using marijuana for 30 years, while his son?s first marriage had broken up because of drug abuse.

Father and son read out statements to the court in which they said both had kicked the habit and were determined to continue contributing as successful members of the community.

Max Moniz told the court: ?You will never see me before this court again. I apologise to the community and accept the consequences of my actions.?

His father also apologised to the community and to the taxpayer for the time and money he had cost the court. He spoke about the ramifications of drug use on his personal life, and asked Mr. Warner to consider any sentence other than prison.

?What twists the dagger in the heart the deepest is that my youngest grandson said he doesn?t want me to go to jail because he will miss playing with me,? he said.