Mark Bigmore, Lisa Wright plead guilty to Driver cannabis drug den bust

Police helped two drug dealers with an unusual clog by pulling a clump of cannabis from their spa filter. See what else they discovered in the Palmerston home.

On December 21, Justice Peter Barr sentenced the two 52-year-olds for their drug syndicate. Picture: iStock

A police raid of a Palmerston home discovered two drug dealers’ unusual fertiliser when officers dug up $56,500 in cash buried under pot plants.

Mark Bigmore and Lisa Wright pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court in December to cultivating cannabis to feed their small Top End drug empire.

Across three police searches in October 2021, officers seized $85,680 in cash hidden in bum bags, buried under pot plants and scattered through the Driver home.

The raid found a total of 2.062kg of cannabis concealed in spa filters and under outdoor tables, with the two 52-year-olds also leaving loose piles of drugs around their house.

Bigmore and Wright’s garden was also decorated with six cultivated cannabis plants.

Police seized 6.91g of methamphetamine, 24 ice pipes and a gel blaster pistol left under a garden table.

Mark Bigmore and Lisa Wright pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court in December to cultivating cannabis to feed their small Top End drug empire.

When initially questioned, Bigmore claimed $17,000 hidden in his bum bag, $11,000 in the house and a wad of $1180 on him were from poker machine winnings and a compensation payout.

However, when police dug up $56,500 in cash buried under three pot plants, the 52-year-old admitted where the money was actually from.

The court heard it was unknown how long they ran their Darwin region drug syndicate before the bust.

A leger showed more than 20 customers on Bigmore’s books, while records indicated Wright sold 907g of cannabis and 1.85g of methamphetamines in five days.

On December 21, Justice Peter Barr sentenced the two 52-year-olds for their drug syndicate.

Bigmore pleaded guilty to cultivating a trafficable quantity of cannabis, possessing a commercial quantity of cannabis and possessing a trafficable amount of methamphetamine.

A leger showed more than 20 customers on Bigmore’s books, while records indicated Wright sold 907g of cannabis and 1.85g of methamphetamines in five days.

He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, with 13 months already served.

Bigmore was also convicted and fined $307 for the ice pipes and gel blaster.

But Justice Barr said because of his prosthesis, Bigmore had a “fairly difficult time in jail”, and the sentence would be suspended after an 18-month stint.

On December 21, Justice Peter Barr sentenced the two 52-year-olds for their drug syndicate. Picture: NT Courts/Supplied

The 52-year-old would be released in five months time under strict conditions.

Wright pleaded guilty to possessing a commercial quantity of cannabis and supplying less than a commercial quantity of methamphetamine.

Justice Barr said the 52-year-old had tried to turn her life around, completing a residential rehab program and securing a full-time position as a Salvation Army peer support worker.

He sentenced her to two years and two months in prison, with seven months already served.

Wright’s remaining 19 months in prison was fully suspended.

“I have got every reason to believe that you will be fully compliant, but I need to warn you … if you do not adhere to the conditions of your suspended sentence or if you reoffend, you will go back to jail.”

Originally published as Mark Bigmore, Lisa Wright plead guilty to Driver cannabis drug den bust