Drug baron could be forced to hand back Centrelink welfare payments, court hears

THE mastermind behind a $1.8 million drug smuggling operation could be forced to hand back his welfare payments after failing to declare his ill gotten wealth, a court has heard

Drug kingpin Guiseppe Romeo failed to declare $1.8 million in money he earned through the sale of cannabis, a court has heard

THE mastermind behind the biggest cannabis smuggling racket in Territory history could be forced to hand back his welfare payments due to undisclosed income, a court has heard.

Giuseppe Bruno Romeo, 65, again faced the Supreme Court on Thursday after earlier pleading guilty to supplying a commercial quantity of the drug.

Romeo’s barrister Tom Berkley submitted Centrelink documents to the court showing his client had been in receipt of carer’s benefits as evidence he had been looking after his elderly parents “for a number of years”.

The submission prompted Justice Judith Kelly to ask whether Romeo had declared the income he earned from trafficking the 300kg of cannabis into the NT in 2016 and 2017.

“Has your client disclosed to Centrelink the ($1.8) million in income that he earned by importing cannabis into the NT?” she asked.

“Is he going to? Somebody should.”

Mr Berkley responded that Romeo had not declared the income but said “it’s noted, your honour, my client knows about it”.

Meanwhile, Crown prosecutor David Morters SC flagged that he would be pushing for the court to jail Romeo for the maximum of 14 years when the time came for sentencing.

“My submissions are fairly obvious, I’m simply pointing your honour in the direction of the maximum penalty that is applicable for this offending,” he said.

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“If ever there was a candidate for the maximum penalty then Mr Romeo fits the bill given his criminal history and the extent of his offending in the Territory.”

Justice Kelly’s comments come after it emerged syndicate middle man, James Weston – who has also pleaded guilty to helping distribute 150kg of the smuggled cannabis – was collecting a disability pension.

During a previous hearing, Justice Kelly questioned how Weston was able to participate in the drug trade if his disability prevented him from working.