Michael Bennett Gardner Snr, 58, grew 3.5 tonnes of cannabis to raise money for national anti-abortion campaign, court hears

A FATHER-of-nine who masterminded one of Australia's biggest cannabis crops to raise funds for his proposed national anti-abortion campaign has been jailed for 13 years.

A FATHER-of-nine who masterminded one of Australia's biggest cannabis crops, worth an estimated $70 million on the "black market", to raise funds for his proposed national anti-abortion campaign has been jailed for 13 years.

Michael Bennett Gardner Snr, 58, today called Brisbane Supreme Court judge Roslyn Atkinson a "tyrant" as she jailed him trafficking cannabis in quantities of  "heroic" proportions between June 1, 2004, and December 17, 2008.

A crotchety and ill-humoured Gardner had just moments earlier told the court Queensland’s strict drug laws and penalties were baseless and of no relevance in a world and time when abortions could be freely obtained via clinics who advertise in the Yellow Pages.

Gardner, during 20-minute speech of questionable relevance to his court proceedings, proclaimed he had no regrets at all for growing more than 3.5 tonnes of cannabis and planned to do it again in his bid to stop the senseless "slaughter'' of pre-natal Australians.

"It is unfair to wilfully kill another human life,'' he told the court.

“I highly object to living in a culture … that (terminates) pre-natal human life.

Gardner, who pleaded guilty in March to one count of drug trafficking, will have to serve at least 10-years and four months in jail because under Queensland law he is now considered a dangerous violent offender and must serve at least 80 percent of his sentence behind bars.

Police, the court was told, arrested Gardner the day after they raided his 2225ha property at Inglewood, 265km southwest of Brisbane, and seized almost 3.6 tonnes of harvested and dried marijuana and a further 22,000 plants.

Prosecutor Michael Lehane said the estimated street value of the drugs at the time of seizure was $68.95 million.

He said Gardner used various members of his three former families, including three step-children then aged between 11 and 14, to help cultivate the massive crops grown in eight separate fields ranging in size from 15m by 10m up to 300m by 30m.

Gardner would dry the cannabis crops in various tents and sheds spread across two thirds of his mountainous property and pack saleable quantities and secret them in large mental drums for transport.

He would then dress up like a hippie, as a disguise, when he transported the drugs over the border into the NSW town of Nimbin for sale.

Gardner even organised the sale of a unseized cannabis harvested before the raid on the property for $280,000 from behind prison walls.

The court was told Gardner sank up to $500,000 he earned through his illegal drug trade back into his operation to boost the production and yield of each crop.

One legitimate business operator claimed Gardner had spent $30,000 in cash on agriculture equipment.

Gardner also used cash to buy cars, a tractor, bulldozer, several high towers and more than 8km of irrigation pipe used to pump what from dams to the various crops.

The court was told police also found a weapons armoury with guns, leg shackles, handcuffs, extendable batons, military grade night-vision goggles and 10,000 rounds of ammunition.

More guns and cash deposits were found hidden in caves dotting the property, while a further $200,000 was buried at the back of the property.

"This was an enormous production and trafficking of cannabis controlled ... by one man (Gardner),'' Justice Atkinson said.