A judge reluctantly granted an adjournment for three of five Vietnamese Canadians accused of operating one of the largest marijuana grow operations in Northern Ontario history.
A preliminary hearing for two of five persons charged last April continues all week at the Sudbury courthouse, while three who showed up in court without lawyers on Monday will return to court to set new trial dates on March 14.
Dong Van Ho, 24 and Hong Q. Dang, 48, were both represented by legal counsel Monday. However, Tham Thai Tu, 30, Van Thanh Lu, 51, and Tam Minh Nguyen, 32, did not have lawyers.
Court heard all three were to be represented by the same southern Ontario lawyer, but three weeks ago was dismissed for reasons not divulged in court.
Speaking through a Vietnamese interpreter, the three unrepresented accused asked Justice William Fitzgerald to give them time to hire legal counsel.
A new date for a preliminary hearing for these three will be set when they return to court March 14, said the veteran judge.
All five were charged after police raided five local residences and seized huge quantities of marijuana police say had a street value in the millions of dollars.
Fitzgerald will rule following a preliminary hearing if there is sufficient evidence for these matters to proceed to trial.
