Luke Drever, 40, and Kevin Reilly, 41, face Queanbeyan court sentencing for meth lab operation near Canberra

Luke Drever, 40, and Kevin Reilly, 41, appeared via audio-visual link in the Queanbeyan District Court on Tuesday for sentencing after they pleaded guilty to manufacturing a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug on January 9-11 in 2020.

Agreed facts state that the operation at a rural property in Harolds Cross, southeast of Canberra, involved a shed that had been converted into a two-storey homestead with living and garage sections and a smaller cream shed nearby.

During the men's arrest, jerry cans containing an oily liquid from the crime scene were seized.

Forensic analysis showed the cans contained 46.4kg of meth oil of which 31.9kg was pure.

Police previously described the operation as "inherently volatile" and said the commercial value of the ice "would be somewhere around $4 million, but the potential street value of that is somewhere in the vicinity of $34 million".

During their search of Reilly's Toyota HiLux at the scene, police found Drever's wallet containing numerous fake identification cards he used to travel from Adelaide to Canberra two days before being arrested.

The facts state that Reilly led the construction of the larger shed in November 2019 and ordered four ovens one month later.

When police raided the property, they found one vessel with a capacity of 441 litres along with other items used in the operation.

MORE COURT AND CRIME NEWS

Drever gave oral evidence during the pair's latest court session, saying he started using meth in the early 2000s and used his training as a chemical engineer to cook his own drug after he could not find work.

He said after he was released from a South Australian jail about 10 years ago, also for drug offending, other people he befriended there and who protected him from other prisoners' bullying and assaults coerced him into his latest crime.

"It wasn't so much a question, it was more of a demand," he said.

"I was asked a lot of questions in regard to my knowledge and my skills and I was asked whether I could do certain things."

The offender said the collaboration was formed to also gain protection from another prison associate's threats, which included burning his house down.

Asked by his lawyer, Kieran Ginges, about what would have happened if he did not agree to the role, Drever said "I definitely would've been in fear of my life".

"These people have the potential to do something horrific," he said.

Drever said he was initially offered $1000/kg and had been paid about $40,000.

The court heard Drever had also been sentenced for failing to answer questions by the Australian Crime Commission in relation to revealing who threatened him.

During cross examination, Crown prosecutor Paul Kerr suggested to Drever that his evidence about being placed under duress was created to lessen his sentence.

Drever said that was not true and that he did not want to name those who threatened him because "it'll put me in endless danger".

The offender was asked and admitted to having the skills and knowledge to produce the ice form of the drug and that he used false information to "hide my travels".

Mr Kerr said during the South Australian sentencing, the judge said Drever's rehabilitation was "well under way" and that the offender said he did not intend to manufacture prohibited drugs.

Ertunc Ozen SC, representing Reilly, said his client had little awareness of being involved in the manufacturing leading up to January 9.

"His role really is one of labourer," Mr Ozen said.

"It is conclusively established that no manufacture whatsoever took place whilst he was the only person on the property."

Mr Ozen said Reilly did not have any specialist skills, nor was he in a position to start the manufacturing process.

Judge Robyn Tupman interjected, asking why Reilly took delivery of more than one oven on a property in the bush.

"Unless it's for MasterChef or something like that, why?" she said.

The prosecutor said the "only reasonable inference from all of the facts is that he had a significant role in the manufacturing".

Judge Tupman is also taking into account other offences for both men - including Drever's fake identification - in her punishment.

Before the court session finished, the legal counsels said it was accepted that the oil was to be taken elsewhere to be produced as ice.

The sentencing continues on Wednesday.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: