Picture exclusive: Thi Thu Hein Vu faces court charged with cultivating and supplying commercial quantities of cannabis
Conservatively dressed and emerging from court arm-in-arm with her solicitor, this is the woman police allege was behind a hydro house where officers seized half a million dollars worth of pot.
Central Coast
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A woman charged with cultivating and supplying commercial quantities of cannabis will be excused from attending court on the next occasion after police were given a further nine weeks to compile their evidence.
Thi Thu Hein Vu, 35, of Chelmsford Rd Lake Haven, faced Wyong Local Court on Tuesday where she is charged with possessing a prohibited drug, taking part in the enhanced indoor commercial cultivation of cannabis, and knowingly supply a commercial quantity of cannabis.
The Crown prosecutor told the court the brief of evidence was not ready to certify the charges and sought an eight-week adjournment, which was extended by a week because of a Magistrate’s conference.
Vu’s solicitor Camvan York asked for her client to be excused on the next occasion.
It comes after officers from the Hunter Region Enforcement Squad, assisted by Tuggerah Lakes Police and Operation Utah officers conducted two searches at homes in Wadalba and Lake Haven on Friday, February 28.
At the Wadalba property, police allegedly located and seized grow lighting, switchboards, transformers, and 66 mature cannabis plants.
At Ms Vu’s Lake Haven property, which is just 90m from a daycare centre, police allegedly located and seized more than 30kg of cannabis.
Police will allege in court Ms Vu was in possession of the cannabis at both properties, which had a combined estimated potential street value of more than $500,000.
Ms Vu was arrested at her Lake Haven address and taken to Wyong Police Station where she was charged.
She was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Local Court on Saturday, March 1, where she was formally refused bail to appear before Wyong Local Court on Tuesday, March 4.
The court heard it was a “strong prosecution case” but even if she was convicted of the most serious offences, she could still be eligible to serve her sentence by way of an intensive correction order (ICO) rather than full-time custody.
She was granted bail to appear again this week where she was adjourned for a further mention on July 8.
Her bail, which includes conditions she abide by a curfew, report to police daily, surrender her passport and not go within 1km of the Vietnamese Embassy in Sydney, was continued.
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