A MAN could face life behind bars if prosecutors push ahead with an allegation that he was making illegal drugs using a lab inside his Tamworth home.
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Adam John Wilkins was arrested earlier this year after police claimed a raid at his Oxley Vale home uncovered a dimethyltryptamine laboratory and items consistent with drug supply.
The 41-year-old has been on strict bail since his arrest and fronted Tamworth Local Court in person on Wednesday when his case was delayed again.
Magistrate Julie Soars examined the court file when she found out he had walked into court and wasn't behind bars.
"Facing a life sentence and the registrar granted him bail," she said, scanning the papers.
If Wilkins is found guilty of manufacturing a prohibited drug in a large commercial quantity, the maximum jail term is 20 years.
He has not been required to enter a plea to that charge, along with a string of other drug-related allegations.
Solicitor Madeleine Mulvaney from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) said the Crown was still combing through evidence and considering which charges to confirm.
"It's a very large digital brief," she said.
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The court heard phone intercepts would likely make up part of the voluminous file.
The time the DPP has taken to lock in charges has already blown out past the standard deadline by almost two weeks.
Ms Soars agreed to delay the matter one last time, with a stern warning for lawyers.
"I will mark it must proceed," she said.
"Delays in charge certification not only affect the parties but also the court, and create a big build-up."
Aboriginal Legal Service defence solicitor Courtney Edstein said the delay was not opposed.
Ms Soars adjourned the case to later this month and ordered Wilkins' bail conditions to continue without change.
Oxley police moved on the house on January 28 and the search continued for several days.
The HAZMAT squad and specialist chemical operations officers were called in to dismantle what police described as a "volatile" laboratory.
The raid also turned up cacti cuttings and cannabis plants, according to police.
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