The men, part of a group of seven arrested in late February on a property in the Balladooran area, appeared in Dubbo Local Court yesterday via audio-visual link for bail applications.

Defence counsel for Ilias Gotsis, 59, Christos Koukouvitakis, 47, John Jim Pipikos, 25, Peter Tahtsis, 47 and Shaun Timothy Wilkshire, 28, told the court the defendants were not "drug czars".

"They haven't done well out of this operation," counsel said.

"They are a bunch of battlers - these are very serious charges but I think it is important to draw a distinction between workers and those who get the profits."

During a sometimes dramatic day in court, the wives of three of the defendant's took the witness stand.

Judith Koukouvitakis made an emotional plea for her husband's freedom.

"We've been together for 30 years," she said.

"One of our daughters has anorexia and bulimia, she is a manic depressive and since her dad has been in custody her weight has halved - she cannot cope.

"Christos is the only bread winner for our family ... I thought he had gone fruit picking."

Wiping away tears, Mrs Koukouvitakis offered the family home as surety for bail.

Peter Tahtsis's wife also took the witness stand but was barely sworn in before she began shaking and crying.

Supported by friends, family and court staff, she collapsed outside the courtroom and said, "I can't cope with it any more."

A succession of family members and friends took the witness stand for the remaining defendants, with almost all offering up their homes as surety - some worth up to $400,000.

Director of Public Prosecutions representative Steve Monaro told the court the case against the men was a strong one.

"Perhaps some of them were cultivating the crop, perhaps some were doing the laundry but they were in it together," he said.

"They all didn't land here in Dubbo from Adelaide by accident."

Magistrate Paul MacMahon will hand down his decision on bail today.

Two of the defendants, Marios Georgas, 43 and Vasilios Rasimoglou, 46, did not apply for bail.