John Anthony Musolino abandoned by son for whom he grew drugs to settle debts
A Paralowie dad who grew cannabis at his home to help extinguish his meth-addict son’s drug debt has been given a lifeline by the court – but his son has done a runner.
North & North East
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A Paralowie father who grew up to 8kg of cannabis in his shed to settle his meth-addict son’s drug debt has avoided jail because of his “exceptional circumstances”.
John Anthony Musolino, 61, was caught with the dried cannabis and hydroponic equipment at his home last year.
He pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in a large commercial quantity of a controlled drug.
Judge Ian Press told the District Court on Tuesday that Musolino had spent “considerable resources” trying to support one of his sons, including “not insubstantial amounts” of money to drug dealers to settle his son’s debts.
When he was approached to pay off more money, he was unable to settle the debt and agreed to cultivate cannabis plants at his home to extinguish the problem.
Judge Press said Musolino was told he would only be cultivating a “low” number of plants and “even if caught, you would only receive a fine”.
“You naively believed this,” Judge Press said.
He said the son Musolino had tried to help by growing the plants had cut off all contact with his family and “in effect disappeared” since his father’s arrest.
Judge Press said the crop was “clearly commercially motivated and was intended to procure not insignificant profits for those involved” but Musolino was “not to directly receive any commercial benefit” and his involvement was “limited”.
He suspended a sentence of two years, three months and seven days because Musolino’s offending was under “exceptional circumstances”.
Musolino was given a two-year good behaviour bond.