But Dennis James Taylor could be out of prison in just a year with good behaviour.

Police uncovered the backyard laboratory at the 62-year-old's Kenny St home in 2003 and said it was capable of producing $64 million worth of ecstasy.

Taylor's co-accused Philip Giam, 49, and John Bermand, 61, have already served jail terms for their roles in the illicit operation.

Taylor pleaded guilty to manufacturing prohibited drugs in September last year.

Documents tendered to the NSW District Court said he had imported six drums of chemicals used to make MDMA - known as ecstasy - from China in July 2003.

The quantity of precursor chemicals safrole and methylamine could have produced 128kg of the party drug.

Taylor initially told police he did not know the drugs were included in the shipment of white oil he had ordered and had no knowledge of the drug lab in the shed in his backyard.

He said a man called John rented the shed for $200 a week to process sandalwood.

In a 2006 statement tendered to the court, Giam said he introduced Taylor to drug importation in 2001.

"I put the proposal to Dennis and he agreed almost straight away, or at least after I told him how much he would be making out of it," Giam said.

"When I explained this to Dennis, I told him fully what the precursor chemicals were. I told him that they were going to be used for the manufacture of amphetamines."

The chemicals customs officers detected in 2003 were part of the third container the men had shipped into Australia.

Giam said Taylor received $5000 cash for each container he imported.