A 38-year-old Moncton man was fined $3,000 on Monday and put on 12-month probation for his role operating an illegal marijuana dispensary on Mapleton Road.

It was one of two dispensaries in the city raided by the RCMP last year during a Valentine's Day bust.

Kenny Do, who pleaded guilty to four counts of possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, was hoping love would help him obtain a more lenient sentence.

Do, sharply dressed in a navy blazer and grey pants, sat in the second row, until he got up to read a statement.

He told court he was in love with a woman named Catherine who lived in Australia and with whom he had a son. He said he was waiting to return to the country to ask her parents for her hand in marriage.

"If your honour decides that I deserve to be punished in a way that I would never be able to set foot in Australia, it would break her heart and mine," he said.

"Please allow me the empathy and compassion so I can keep my word and deliver the promise I made to this special lady, in the name of love."

RCMP raided two dispensaries in Moncton in February 2018. (Matthew Bingley/CBC)

Defence lawyer Robert Rideout said Do had flown in from Australia for the sentencing hearing and his plan was to return there.

Provincial court Judge Lucie Mathurin thanked Do for his comments but said that he operated the dispensary illegally, and she wanted to send a clear message people can't pick and choose which laws to follow.

She said it was clear his motive was financial gain, and the fact he didn't shut down his business after being ordered to do so was an aggravating factor.

Mathurin also expressed concern that Do said he wanted to return to selling cannabidiol, or CBD oil, by legal means.

His probation conditions include doing 100 hours of community service and not working in the cannabis industry.

During the raid, police found more than $3,000 in cash inside the small business, plus products that included hash oil, dried marijuana and edibles.

Do did not want to comment outside court. It is unclear how his sentence will affect his travel plans to Australia.