Son of Sydney underworld figure sentenced to five years jail despite tuna can attack

The son of late Sydney underworld figure George Freeman will likely need protection in jail due to his father's notoriety, a court has heard.

Adam Freeman has been sentenced to at least five years in prison for his role in a large-scale drug operation after being extradited from Thailand in August 2011.

The 31-year-old has spent most of the past three years on bail.

At his sentence hearing on Monday, Sydney's District Court heard that since Freeman pleaded guilty and was again taken into custody in August this year, he had been attacked in jail with a tuna can.

His barrister Greg James QC said his father's notoriety meant he was likely to experience extra hardships in prison.

"Your honour will not penalise him for being his father's son ... But give a dog a bad name ... and he gets treated that way."

He said it was likely Freeman would spend a "substantial proportion" of his sentence in protection.

But Judge Andrew Haesler said there was no evidence of that.

Freeman, he said, was a man of "considerable personal resources" who, if given the opportunity, could live a law-abiding life.

"He will have plenty of time to think about what he has done," Judge Haesler said.

Freeman was extradited from Thailand in August 2011 after a global arrest warrant was issued.

He had fled to Bangkok in December 2010, a day after two of his co-accused were arrested in NSW near the Werris Creek property.

They were caught after officers noticed drugs and drug manufacturing equipment in their van during a random breath test.