A Laotian man charged with commercial cannabis cultivation and supply has told a court he was unaware he was working for an alleged drug operation.
Tou Sensonxay was one of six foreign nationals – five men and a woman – arrested on January 22 over a $17 million cannabis operation north of Coffs Harbour.
At the time, police seized more than 5,000 plants and about 200 kilograms of cannabis head during the dismantling of the set-up at a property in the rural village of Kremnos.
The stash was concealed inside two large grow houses that did not look out of place alongside the blueberry and cucumber farms of the Coffs Coast.
Mr Sensonxay appeared at Coffs Harbour District Court yesterday via video link from the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre at Kempsey.
The 45-year-old greeted the courtroom by bowing his head and then holding his hands in prayer on his forehead.
He told the court through a Laotian interpreter that he was not guilty of one count of cultivating a commercial supply of a prohibited plant.
"I didn't know it was an illegal plant," Mr Sensonxay said.
"If I had known I wouldn't have done it."
'Didn't know anything'
Mr Sensonxay also pleaded not guilty to a charge of supplying a commercial quantity of cannabis.
"I didn't know anything about [the alleged drug operation]," he said after entering his plea.
"I was just an employee there."
Judge Jonathon Priestly set Mr Sensonxay's trial for April 12, 2021 at Coffs Harbour.
He will be tried alongside co-accused Wannapong Phongpaiboon, a 53-year-old man from Thailand, who was also arrested at the property.
The trial is estimated to run for 10 days.
The charges against the other four accused are progressing in the Local and District courts at Coffs Harbour.
