Fashion designer faces trial by media, says lawyer

The Auckland fashion label owner charged with cultivating cannabis valued at tens of thousands of dollars is suffering a "trial by media", his lawyer said today.

Insidious Fix clothing label owner John Campbell Crawford, 35, was charged with cultivating cannabis and allowing a premises to be used for the purpose of cannabis cultivation on Monday.

Crawford's lawyer Gary Gotlieb said he was "very concerned" with the media interest in the case.

"The thing that's concerning me is we're having a trial by media here rather than go through its due process in court," he said.

Media have flocked to the Onehunga warehouse used by Insidious Fix where police uncovered a "huge and sophisticated" hydroponic operation.

Mr Gotlieb said the bulk of the cannabis was found in a separate building next door, and not in the specific commercial space used by Insidious Fix.

"There's other individuals and people involved [in the commercial space] and there seems to be a general inter-mingling."

The police raid uncovered up to 1000 cannabis plants, tens of thousands of dollars worth of cannabis heads, a crossbow and what police believed was methamphetamine.

Detective Sergeant Dave Nimmo said the cannabis plants ranged in size from seedlings to full grown trees.

"We'll be executing further search warrants in connection to this discovery over the next few days, so I expect there'll be further arrests related to this operation."

Crawford and business partner Kylee Davis featured at last month's New Zealand Fashion Week, and the 10-year-old knitwear label received a $16,000 trade and export award last year.

Crawford was granted bail yesterday in the Auckland District Court and will appear again on December 6.

- NZPA