Former owner of dessert bar 50sixone Anthony Canova avoids jail for growing cannabis

The former owner of a popular dessert bar made the “worst mistake of his life” after the collapse of his business led to a $10k cannabis enterprise.

The former owner of a popular dessert bar made the “worst mistake of his life” after the collapse of his business led him to growing cannabis.

Anthony Canova, 49, who was the co-owner of 50sixone, avoided jail after he entangled his friends Ivan Marotti, 67, and Dante Martire, 49, in dismantling the enterprise.

During sentencing, the District Court heard police attended a Mount Barker property on January 5, 2022.

After hearing banging and shuffling inside the house they gained entry by forcing the backdoor.

“The three of you were hiding in a roof cavity which could be accessed via a modified manhole in the centre of the hallway,” Judge Liesl Kudelka said.

The court heard there were 11 cannabis plants growing across three rooms in the house.

50sixone was best known for its ‘freak shakes’. Picture: Supplied

21.6kg of cannabis plant material was located, with Canova accepting about 3.3kg of it being fit for sale, which was worth about $10,000 if sold in pound lots.

The court heard Canova was a silent partner in dessert bar 50sixone, which started in Hyde Park in 2015 and expanded to Mount Barker in 2017.

However, the Mount Barker store failed in 2018 and the business went into liquidation.

The restaurant was best known for its “freak shakes” – creations incorporating a number of different dessert elements into a milkshake.

The court heard Canova sold the family home and moved to Mount Barker.

Dante Martire was sentenced to a good behaviour bond with no conviction for his minor role. Picture: File

In 2020, Canova bought a house directly across the road as he thought it was a good investment but it needed a lot of work before he could rent it out.

The court heard another person suggested to Canova’s he let him grow cannabis in the house.

“You initially said no but after a few months you agreed because it was too hard to work full-time, repair the house, support your wife, and look after your daughter who had … illness,” Judge Kudelka said.

“You gave evidence that you ‘made the worst mistake of my life’.”

The court heard Canova believed police had been alerted to the grow house and begged Martire and Marotti to help him harvest the cannabis.

All men pleaded guilty to cultivating controlled plants for sale, while Canova also pleaded guilty to large commercial drug trafficking.

Canova was sentenced to three years and seven months jail, with a non-parole period of 23 months.

“In your words, you said you were sucked in by (another person) to get involved in this to clear your debts,” Judge Kudelka said.

“You described your choice to go down this path as plainly stupid and felt very foolish for having agreed to illegal means for clearing finances.”

Judge Kudelka determined that Canova’s family circumstances, strong work ethic and remorse meant the sentence should be suspended on a three-year good behaviour bond.

Due to their minimal involvement, Marotti and Martire were sentenced to 12-month good behaviour bonds, with no convictions recorded.