Anthony Enrico Cabassi sentenced over drug date gone wrong

A Far North Queensland boilermaker has been jailed after holding two men at gunpoint and having a secret bunker stockpiled with weapons buried underground on his farm. Watch the video.

Police have uncovered a secret cache of firearms with the assistance of PD Quincy at a property near Mareeba. Picture: Queensland Police

A Far North Queensland boilermaker has been jailed for nine years after holding two men at gunpoint and having a secret bunker stockpiled with weapons buried underground on his farm.

Anthony Enrico Cabassi, 28 from the Atherton Tablelands, was sentenced in the Cairns Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The court heard on September 21, 2022 Cabassi and his co-accused invited two men over to Cabassi’s Arriga property after two men called hoping to buy cannabis and meth.

In sentencing Cabassi, Justice James Henry said “No explanation has been proffered for assembling such a stockpile of weapons.

Unbeknown to the two men travelling to the property, Cabassi and his accomplice had devised a plan to seek revenge.

The court heard the four men shared history. One of them had allegedly stolen a rifle off Cabassi’s accomplice — a revenge act because he believed this man had ripped him off.

The victim then allegedly sold that rifle on the black market.

While the two victims believed the score was settled, Cabassi and his accomplice thought otherwise.

On arrival it was dark and the men parked at the rear of the property at Cabassi’s request.

Two men brandishing weapons.

The pair stopped the car, got out and were the space Cabassi’s accomplice who was waiting, holding gun, and told them to get out of the car.

Cabassi and the man then marched the pair into Cabassi’s Nissan Patrol as they were walking Cabassi said “hurry up” and shot his gun into the air.

Cabassi then tied the men’s hands with zip ties and produced a rifle of his own.

One of the victims started fidgeting. Cabassi’s companion told him to “stop it” and then hit him across the face with the butt of a rifle. Cabassi proceeded to take a $100 note out of the other victim’s pocket.

Police have uncovered the secret cache of firearms with the assistance of PD Quincy: Queensland Police

The court heard Cabassi said he was unhappy the man had sold the gun for $700 on the black market.

Cabassi’s accomplice then hit the man across the face with his rifle and said “Don’t lie”.

He then discharged his gun, putting the muzzle to one of the men’s head and telling them “get out before I spray your brain”.

“You’ll be lucky to see daylight,” he said, throwing the keys at him.

“If you go the cops it will be the last thing you do.”

As the pair drove off, Cabassi’s accomplice shot at the car which hit the driver’s side door.

The men left with several facial abrasions from the rifle butt assaults with one requiring stitches.

The victims then called the police.

After the police arrested Cabassi and his accomplice, a black labrador sniffer dog made a fuss over a pile of straw at the back of the property, which uncovered a buried shipping container.

Cabassi will spend at least another six months in prison: Marc McCormack

Police then examined that space and in particular under the pile of straw, there they found an opening which turned out to be a shipping container buried underground.

Inside was a desk chair, shelves, jewellery, watches, cannabis, methylamphetamine, several crossbows, 24 firearms and 121kg of ammunition.

In sentencing Cabassi, Justice James Henry said no explanation had been offered regarding the “stockpile of weapons”.

He described Cabassi and his accomplice’s surprise attack on the victim as “cowardly and criminal” and said the 28-year-old who came from a “good supporting family” had engaged in “grotesque gangster like behaviour”.

Justice Henry sentenced Cabassi to nine and a half years in prison with a parole eligibility date on January 9, 2025.

Cabassi pleaded to guilty to 20 charges including five counts of possessing dangerous drugs, three charges of threatening violence, two charges of deprivation of liberty, two assault occasioning bodily harm while armed or in company, one charge of possessing shortened firearms, one count of unlawful possession of weapons, one count of possess weapon with altered identification, one count of possessing a pipe, one charge of assault while armed and in company, and one robbery while armed or in company.

Originally published as Anthony Enrico Cabassi sentenced over drug date gone wrong