Damian Dal-Santo sentenced for remote community supply plan

A man who tried to take kilos of cannabis into a remote Arnhem Land community in a bubblegum box and blankets has been sentenced. Read how his plan was brought undone.

A Darwin man who tried to supply cannabis into a remote Aboriginal community in a bubblegum box and blankets has been jailed for his “obviously serious” offending.

Damian Dal-Santo was sentenced in the Supreme Court last month after pleading guilty to supplying a commercial amount of cannabis.

The court heard Dal-Santo and his partner travelled to Territory Air Services at the Darwin International Airport on January 20, with the intention of supplying 2.28kg of cannabis, worth about $227,500, into Arnhem Land community Maningrida, about 500km west of Darwin.

Dal-Santo was arrested after drug detection dogs found the cannabis in his luggage inside a bubblegum box and blankets.

Damian Dal-Santo appeared in the Supreme Court after trying to supply 2.28kg of cannabis into remote Arnhem Land community Maningrida. Picture: Natash Emeck

Several Cryovac and clip-seal bags of cannabis were found as well as three mobile phones.

The court also heard Dal-Santo had a “regrettable” criminal history including a six-month prison sentence for supplying about 180 grams of cannabis worth about $18,000 into Arnhem Land community Milingimbi.

Dal-Santo had been convicted for a number of other drug offences including supplying cannabis, carrying a prohibited weapon, common assault, possessing a firearm without a licence and driving with methamphetamine in his system.

The court also heard Dal-Santo began smoking cannabis at 10 years old, drinking alcohol at 13 and injecting methamphetamine at 17.

In his sentencing, Acting Justice Trevor Riley said Dal-Santo’s prospects for rehabilitation were “poor” due to his “lengthy criminal history”.

“The impact that cannabis can have upon remote Indigenous communities is well-recorded,” he said.

The Supreme Court heard Dal-Santo had previously been jailed for supplying about $18,000 of cannabis into the remote Arnhem Land community of Milingimbi.

“There are, as the courts have noted, countless victims, including users of cannabis within the communities and, of course, others in the community who are adversely affected by the devastating impacts upon the users themselves.

“The abuse of cannabis continues to cause tremendous damage within such communities and leads to misery and dysfunction.

“In this case, you were bringing a significant quantity of the drug into the community, in flagrant disregard of the law.”

Dal-Santo was sentenced to three years and four months imprisonment with a non-parole period of two years and five months.

His sentence was backdated to January 20.

Originally published as Damian Dal-Santo sentenced for remote community supply plan