An Adelaide man who police allege was the mastermind behind hundreds of kilograms of cannabis shipments to Darwin has been committed to stand trial.
Guiseppe Bruno Romeo, 65, appeared in Darwin Local Court by video link from Alice Springs jail on Tuesday where his lawyer, Julie Franz, conceded there was enough evidence for her client’s case to be transmitted to the Supreme Court.
Romeo is charged with two counts of supplying a commercial quantity of cannabis, one count of supplying a commercial quantity of meth, and two counts of receiving tainted cash. The charges stem from two alleged drug running operations.
Crown Prosecutor David Morters SC told the court one of Romeo’s drivers — whose name is suppressed — had given a detailed statement about the inner workings of one of Romeo’s alleged operations. The court heard the man, a meth addict, was supplied with the drug as payment for his work.
The man also had dealings with “a person named Phillip O’Shea, who is associated with the Hells Angels,” Mr Morters said.
The prosecution case against Romeo is that he used Greyhound bus freight services and rental cars to run shipments of cannabis to the Northern Territory. The evidence also includes financial records, with large sums of what the prosecution alleges to be drug money landing in Romeo’s bank account.
The charges deal with “well in excess of a ton of cannabis”, Mr Morters said.
The allegedly tainted cash on the second set of charges alone totals more than $1 million.
Romeo, dressed in a prison-issued jumper, shook his head disapprovingly as Mr Morters read details of the statements Romeo’s alleged minions had given to police. Judge Alan Woodcock said there was sufficient evidence to send Romeo’s case to the Supreme Court.
Romeo will face an arraignment hearing on September 12.
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Source: The West Australian