In June 2017, PerthNow reported that freezing orders covered 10 properties near Gingin linked to Tony Larussa, with an estimated combined value of about $10 million. That was a reported estimate of assets subject to restrictions—not proof they were criminal proceeds or had been permanently confiscated. In 2023, the Western Australian Court of Appeal set aside Larussa’s conviction on the methamphetamine possession-with-intent-to-supply count and substituted an acquittal.
What the 2017 report said
PerthNow reported on June 3, 2017 that authorities had placed freezing orders over 10 properties near Gingin, Western Australia, with an estimated combined value of about $10 million. The report linked the properties to cattle breeder Tony Larussa and said the farming properties were held through Larussa Custodian Services Australia Pty Ltd. The figure was a contemporaneous estimate, not a court finding of value or a final confiscation decision. PerthNow’s June 2017 report
The same report said about $900,000 in cash had been seized in the wider inquiry by the time of publication. It also reported that police alleged they found about 10 kg of methamphetamine in a concealed compartment in a car during a farm raid on April 3, 2017. The report described drug-dealing and firearms charges against Larussa and a charge against another man over possession of the drugs with intent to sell or supply. Those were reported allegations and charges at the time—not a final determination of Larussa’s guilt on the drug count.
The article also cited $13.7 million as the value of assets criminals had forfeited in the prior financial year. That was a historical figure reported in 2017, not a current total. The two approximately $10 million figures in the story referred to different things: the estimated property value and the separate reported street-value estimate for the alleged methamphetamine.
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What happened to the methamphetamine charge?
In Larussa v The State of Western Australia [2023] WASCA 62, the Court of Appeal allowed Larussa’s appeal on the methamphetamine possession-with-intent-to-supply count, set aside his conviction on that count and substituted an acquittal. The judgment records that Larussa and Antonio Pelle had pleaded not guilty to that count. It also records Larussa’s guilty pleas to firearms offences; those pleas concerned separate offences, not the methamphetamine supply count. 2023 Court of Appeal judgment
Accordingly, the original 2017 report should be read as a report about an investigation, allegations and asset-freezing action at that time. It would be inaccurate to describe Larussa as convicted of the methamphetamine supply offence after the 2023 appellate ruling.
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Were the properties confiscated?
A freeze and a permanent confiscation are not the same outcome. A freezing notice or order restricts dealings with property while a legal process proceeds; it does not, by itself, establish that the property is criminal proceeds or that ownership has permanently transferred to the state.
A separate 2018 Supreme Court decision, Carr v Larussa [2018] WASC 176, refers to a freezing notice dated May 19, 2017. It discusses farming properties held by Larussa Custodian Services and the notice’s effect on their availability in separate debt proceedings. That confirms court consideration of a notice affecting the properties, but it does not establish the ultimate disposition of all 10 properties. 2018 Supreme Court decision
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The sources available for this account do not establish what ultimately happened to every property covered by the reported orders. The 2017 estimated value should therefore not be treated as a current valuation, proof of confiscation or statement of present ownership.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What a property freeze means in Western Australia
Legal Aid WA explains that the Criminal Property Confiscation Act 2000 (WA) gives police and the Director of Public Prosecutions powers to seek orders freezing or confiscating certain property. Its guidance says a freeze or confiscation process may apply even when nobody has been charged or convicted. A freeze is a restriction during a legal process, not a verdict in a criminal case. Legal Aid WA guidance on freezing and confiscation
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If you receive a freezing notice, read the document carefully and seek independent legal advice promptly. Legal Aid WA’s guidance is a practical starting point, but it does not mean Legal Aid WA represented anyone in the Larussa matter.
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