NCA bombing suspect’s brother Francesco Perre pleads guilty to drugs and firearms offences
THE brother of NCA bombing suspect Domenic Perre has pleaded guilty to drugs and weapons charges following the discovery of a hydroponic operation in the Riverland.
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THE brother of NCA bombing suspect Domenic Perre has pleaded guilty to drugs and weapons charges following the discovery of a hydroponic operation in the Riverland.
Francesco ‘Frank’ Perre, 56, and wife Rita Perre, 52, appeared in the Berri Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Francesco Perre pleaded guilty to one aggravated count of cultivating a controlled plant and one count of trafficking in a large commercial quantity of a controlled drug.
He also pleaded guilty to two non-aggravated counts of possessing a firearm without a licence.
The charges arose from the discovery of 13kg of dried cannabis and a grow room hidden on the Chaffey property, near Renmark, alongside a pump-action shotgun and a Bruno SLR rifle.
Last month, Francesco indicated he would likely plead guilty — by doing so, he preserved the statutory discount on his eventual sentence.
Both he and his wife — who has yet to enter pleas — were remanded on continuing bail to face court again in August.
Their arrests came after the couple’s nephew, prominent lawyer Anthony Perre, was fined $1400 and had convictions recorded against him over drug and electricity diversion offences.
Two weeks ago, Domenic Perre was arrested over the same drug crop as his brother and sister-in-law, and remanded in custody.
He will seek release on home detention bail on Wednesday.
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