How former Casella Wines director Marcello Casella became entangled in cannabis farming
IT was an elaborate plan hatched in May 2013 that would later go on to implicate the high-profile family which created one of Australia’s most famous wine brands.
NSW
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IT was an elaborate plan hatched in May 2013 that would later go on to implicate the high-profile family which created one of Australia’s most famous wine brands.
A long-time friend of former Casella Wines director Marcello Nello Casella had been growing indoor cannabis at his farm in East Lynne.
The friend was supplying the drug to members of the community with the help of one of his employees.
But the alleged cannabis grower decided he wanted a bigger enterprise.
He discussed the idea of growing a significant amount of cannabis in another part of rural NSW with another man.
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Less than a year later police — who had been intercepting phone calls and investigating for months — raided a property north of Young and uncovered 2750 cannabis plants there.
The raid brought everything to a crashing end for the alleged cannabis syndicate.
One of the scalps implicated in the illegal scheme was 57-year-old Casella, from the family who created the world-famous Yellow Tail wine brand.
This week, Casella was almost 30 days into a district court trial fighting allegations that he provided finances and equipment for the crop plans when he instead pleaded guilty to concealing information that he knew about at least 1000 cannabis plants growing at the site.
His employee, irrigation manager Andre Turner, who had also been on trial, entered a guilty plea to cultivating a commercial quantity of cannabis.
MARCELLO CASELLA’S ROLE
The court had heard that Casella became aware of the cannabis farm plans five months before police raided the Crowther property, near Young.
The winemaker had known grower for a number of years through a mutual friendship involving family members on each side.
The court had heard the pair had travelled to Bali together.
In September 2013 the cannabis grower asked Casella for assistance “in the nature of funding, equipment and knowledge in irrigation.”
“As a winemaker, the offender possessed such funding, knowledge and materials.”
Casella visited the farm three times between October and December.
The court heard that in January 2014 he knew at least 1000 cannabis plants had been planted.
Police raided Casella’s Yenda home on the day they found the 2750 plants at the Crowther property.
Two weeks after the raid Casella was removed from running the family business, with the company issuing a statement distancing itself from him.
“Mr Marcello Casella resigned as a director of Casella Family Brands earlier this year,” it read.
In September 2014 Casella was questioned about the cannabis plantation but said he didn’t know anything about it.
THE DOWNFALL
Police had been intercepting phone calls for months.
They had placed a listening device on the cannabis grower’s car.
Conversations were captured where the grower used code phrases such as “holiday house” when he was really referring to the farm.
On February 12, 2014 police raided the Crowther property finding the 2750 plants believed to be about six weeks old.