HE is a key witness the prosecution hopes can help identify nail and beauty salon owner Nga White as the voice on the end of the telephone talking about supplying large quantities of cannabis.
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But on Tuesday, the witness, who cannot be identified, was having a bit of trouble remembering who he was talking to in intercepted telephone calls from 2017, even going so far as to claim he couldn't remember the evidence he gave on Monday.
Nga White, also known as Emily White, on Monday pleaded not guilty to directing a criminal group, cultivating a large commercial quantity of cannabis and supplying a commercial quantity of cannabis and is facing a judge-alone trial in Newcastle District Court.
The prosecution allege the salon owner and business woman was leading a double life running a crime syndicate that cultivated and supplied large quantities of cannabis across Newcastle.
But the defence dispute she had any knowledge or control of the sophisticated operation and defence barrister Michelle Swift has said one of the issues in the trial will be identification and whether Ms White is the voice on the calls discussing supplying cannabis to a customer.
That customer gave evidence on Monday and admitted during 2017 he had purchased "a couple of pounds" of cannabis off Ms White "probably half a dozen times".
After being played an intercepted call, the man agreed he was trying to buy $50,000 worth of cannabis from Ms White.
But on Tuesday, after an apparent sleepless night, the witness was not as definitive when played other calls.
"Not really no," the man replied when asked if he recognised the female voice on one of the calls. "It is very muffly. "I can't even hear what she is saying."
The prosecution allege Ms White and the man negotiated the supply of a large quantity of cannabis, but when three Vietnamese nationals went to deliver the drugs they were pulled over by police at Adamstown and arrested.
Police found 18 kilograms of cannabis in the boot and those men were later jailed for their roles in a drug supply operation.
Police then raided a storage shed in Steel Street and found 329 cannabis plants being grown hydroponically and 39 bags containing more than 17 kilograms of cannabis.
The trial continues.
