Drug grower caught

[Tom]

A JUDGE said yesterday that a man caught on camera watering 354 cannabis plants at Lake Eppalock had to be more than a gardener.

 

Massimo "Max" Paris, 36, pleaded guilty to cultivating a trafficable amount of cannabis and cultivating cannabis at his then home in Tullamarine.

 

Defence lawyer David Brustman told Melbourne County Court that Paris was paid $2000 to tend to the crop at Patons Road, where he was captured on police surveillance between November 29, 2004, and January, last year, when he was arrested by Bendigo Crime Investigations Unit detectives.

 

Judge Frank Dyett said Paris was unlikely to make a trip from Tullamarine in his Mercedes Benz and get into other vehicles with false number plates at Mosquito Creek, Lake Eppalock, to drive to the plot and tend to the plants, all for $2000.

 

"It just defies logic," Judge Dyett said.

 

Mr Brustman said the Mercedes was an old model and the payment for watering plants was a good one.

 

Crown prosecutor Mark Regan said the set-up at Patons Road was a reasonably sophisticated one and attempts had been made to camouflage it.

 

"He was well aware of the dangers, in view of the elaborate steps he took to disguise his identity," Judge Dyett said.

 

He said Paris used poles on the gate at Patons Road so he would know if anyone else had been there.

 

The judge questioned whether cannabis found at Paris's then home, Unit 3, 234 Melrose Drive, Tullamarine, was for personal use.

 

Items seized from the property included electronic scales, five zip-lock bags of cannabis and four grinders.

 

Mr Brustman insisted his client, who has a previous conviction for cultivating cannabis, but who claims to have been a heavy smoker for 15 years, grew the plants for himself.

 

He said three of the grinders were broken.

 

Judge Dyett said Paris, of Keilor, must have done a lot of grinding.

 

Mr Brustman said there was no evidence his client was a dealer and statements given by Paris' former housemate that he paid $125 for cannabis grown by the defendant could not be taken into account.

 

The housemate testified at the committal hearing, but had since disappeared.

 

"My role is to determine just how serious your client's role was and in my view, he has got to be more than a gardener," Judge Dyett said.

 

Mr Brustman told the judge he was adopting a view neither the Crown nor he had put.

 

The court heard evidence from Paris's seriously ill 66-year-old mother, Aurora, whom he has cared for since January, last year.

 

She said she depended on her son for help.

 

Judge Dyett adjourned the case until Thursday for sentencing.

 

Author:Rural Press Ltd

Date:Tuesday, 8 August 2006

Source:Rural Press Ltd

Copyright:© Copyright 2006 by Rural Press Ltd

 

[Budman2012]

Thx for the info Tom ,

It would be very interesting to know what happens with this case.

It is suprising to me that they seem to be taking into account the caring of his mother.

Sounds like a fairly lenient judge , but we'll see what happens aye

Bye Now.

Budman ... Out. (gardener)

[pipeman]

Mr Brustman said there was no evidence his client was a dealer and statements given by Paris' former housemate that he paid $125 for cannabis grown by the defendant could not be taken into account.

 

The housemate testified at the committal hearing, but had since disappeared.

 

well you don't need to guess twice about how the cops got onto this one. little cunt no wonder he's dissappeared...

[BentBuddha]

354 plants for personal use? Errm, if I were him i'd be taking thongs and a carton of ciggys to my court case.

[loylty gets u nothing]

yeah

toothbrush too

5 plants maybe

but please 354??

 

bpa

[dsyfer]

the 354 plants were not for personal use, he was just a gardener, it was the pot found at his residence that was claimed for personal use.

[dev0]

SNITCH!

[two2time]

i believe that 354 plants could be personal if you wanted to grow a life time of drugs in one hit .. fuck you try and smoke that much sir and see if you can even rember where i put the other oz and fuck god knows how many pounds i have lost ....

 

just believe

 

tt