MONTREAL - An actor who played a TV mobster and was convicted of real-life drug charges appears ready to revive his career while the Crown seeks a lengthy jail sentence for him.

Tony Conte, a minor Quebec celebrity known mainly for his television roles, told the court he has a number of projects on the go.

The Crown has one for him too, suggesting he should serve between five and six years in prison after being found guilty by a jury of conspiracy and possession of cocaine with intent to traffic.

The Crown repeated Thursday during a sentencing hearing what it's said all along: Conte's role in the crime was significant.

"He played a first-rate role in this transaction," Crown Matthew Ferguson told Superior Court Justice Sophie Bourque.

But Conte's lawyer argued the opposite. Annie Emond downplayed Conte's role compared to the others who were sentenced in the case and suggested the appropriate sentence for her client is two years less a day, all served in the community.

Conte was best known for playing a fictional mobster in the French-language crime drama "Omerta" in the 1990s.

He was arrested by undercover police agents during a drug sting at a Montreal hotel.

Conte was arrested along with others on Oct. 29, 2008, attempting to sell 30 kilograms of cocaine for $500,000.

The purchasers were also offered an option for 70 more kilograms if the initial deal went well.

The four others he was charged with all pleaded guilty to similar charges and received jail sentences that ranged between two and six years.

But Conte elected to go to trial, arguing he had no idea what was going on in the hotel room and unwittingly found himself in the middle of a high-stakes drug transaction.

During the trial, Conte had attempted to distance himself from incriminating text messages he received on his phone, insisting that he cannot understand a word of English.

But the Crown said Conte negotiated the deal, was involved in all the specifics including the price and showed an ease with terminology.

"Nothing in the evidence shows that Mr. Conte played a lesser role," said Ferguson.

"Coming to this conclusion would be based on pure speculation."

The Crown portrayed Conte as a down-on-his-luck actor who couldn't find work and was in serious financial trouble when he got involved in a drug transaction.

He didn't file taxes between 2007 and 2009, but Conte insisted he was doing voice work and living within his means.

Conte denied Thursday that he was in financial trouble, even as the Crown showed him an interview he had done with a magazine in 2007 that detailed his problems.

Conte's lawyers introduced a number of witnesses, including Quebec producers and one writer who said they were ready to work with him, despite his legal woes.

Among the projects in the works is a movie version of a play by renowned Quebec playwright Marcel Dube, "Un simple soldat," currently in the preliminary planning stages.

Dube, 81, himself testified at Conte's sentencing hearing, saying he looked forward to working with him.

“I have immense respect for the institution of justice,” Dube told reporters outside the courtroom.

"But that doesn’t change how I feel about Mr. Conte."

Conte's wife of five years, Manon Carufel, testified Conte has had to battle depression and resorted to social assistance at one point.

She said that Conte was also not able to grieve the death of his mother, who died during his legal saga.

"He's not perfect, but he's not a bad person," Carufel said.

Bourque will sentence Conte on Feb. 16.