Current HUGE AFP Sting - 200 organised crime arrests

[Kurve]

FBI’s Encrypted Phone Platform Infiltrated Hundreds of Criminal Syndicates; Result is Massive Worldwide Takedown

www.justice.gov

unsealed_trojan_shield_search_warrant_21mj1948.pdf

unsealed_trojan_shield_indictment_21cr1623-jls.pdf

Current - Ex Rebels President Assassinated by Sniper Shot at the Motorplex Perth - WA

Of interest: https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/huge-afp-sting-200-organised-crime-arrests.1271733/

www.bigfooty.com

 

[Kwality]

Ironside: 57 accused, 150+ new charges and a $17.5m guilty plea
An Operation Ironside defendant has admitted his role in a $17.5m drug trafficking syndicate, during a mass hearing of South Australians caught up in the crime sting.
Eddie Kadan pleads guilty to $17.5m Yamba drug trafficking as 47 Operation Ironside defendants face court

(behind paywall)
.

 

[Kwality]

Another in Sydney:
'A Lamborghini-driving alleged bikie associate who was arrested during the country’s biggest crackdown on organised crime has been released on bail after his family agreed to post an eye-watering, multimillion-dollar surety.
Ashley Rake, 35, was charged with a raft of offences, including serious drug charges, when officers raided his Vaucluse unit in June.'

Alleged drug supplier owned Lamborghini: court

A Lamborghini-driving alleged bikie associate who was arrested during the country’s biggest crackdown on organised crime has been released on bail after his family agreed to post an eye-watering, multimillion-dollar surety.

www.news.com.au

'...... his barrister Avni Djemal attacked the strength of the crown case, saying that text message conversations on an encrypted device do not prove that Mr Rake was involved in drug supply.'

The prosecution has alleged that the ANOM device was used at Mr Rake’s unit and at a Kiama residence where he stayed on holiday.
However, Mr Djemal argued that the encrypted device found at Mr Rake’s home was not his and the other device he was alleged to have used was never found.

 

[BFew]

Ironside: 57 accused, 150+ new charges and a $17.5m guilty plea

 

[BFew]

On p28 of yesterday's Daily Telegraph.

Makes me wonder how many crims might try (and likely fail) to get permission to leave the country under falsified threats to their lives.

Must be much more going on with Zahed than has been made public, for Border force to have provided him the exemption to leave Australia in September this year. (see article far below)

Senior Comanchero bikie detained in Lebanon after Interpol notice

The notice triggered by Australian authorities said Tarek Zahed was widely known for involvement in serious crimes.

www.smh.com.au

'In September, police sources expressed frustration at Border Force allowing Mr Zahed to travel after legal avenues to keep him in NSW were exhausted.'

 

[BFew]

Another ANOM related Sydney Bikie is bailed (Ashley Rake), from the Daily Telegraph yesterday.

Looks like bail is more likely to be agreed to if the case against is only a circumstantial one.
Probably on the basis that cases like these usually have a higher rate of not resulting in a conviction.

 

[Kwality]

Another ANOM related Sydney Bikie is bailed (Ashley Rake), from the Daily Telegraph yesterday.

Looks like bail is more likely to be agreed to if the case against is only a circumstantial one.
Probably on the basis that cases like these usually have a higher rate of not resulting in a conviction.

View attachment 1291866

The unexplained wealth will be an issue for the ATO & Austrac.

Money laundering charges are in play in the SA investigation too. Whether the suppression order(s ?) action is directly related to these charges is unclear.


BFew for the articles/text posted.

 

[Kwality]

This incident didnt get a mention at the time & the bail hearing reveals the use of ANOM runs to discussions after the offence was rumbled:

Alleged ANOM drug trafficker refused bail

An alleged ANOM drug trafficker has been refused bail despite arguing he wouldn't copy a now-captured fugitive accused...

www.northernbeachesreview.com.au

Chambour, 36, who was arrested in June as part of Operation Ironside, is charged with trafficking in a commercial quantity, in excess of 60kg, of methylamphetamine.
The case relates to the AN0M app, which was secretly being run and monitored by law enforcement.
In applying for bail in the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday, Chambour's barrister Phillip Boulten SC said his client was said to have possessed the relevant devices at the relevant times.
But he said it was "challengeable" whether the device was used by the same person at all times.

Trent Glover, for the Crown, pointed to evidence showing Chambour was the user of the device, including in May when "George" was communicating with his named partner.
"The applicant had advanced plans to abscond from Australia," he said.
But Mr Boulten said the messages could be regarded as his client agonising as to whether he should go to Queensland in an endeavour to get away or whether to report on bail, with him deciding on the latter.
But Mr Glover said this was to "buy time" for a plan to leave via Indonesia for Dubai at a price of $US500,000.

 

[BFew]

In today's Sunday Times (The Sunday edition of the West Australian newspaper), there's a really interesting article (online and p40) how WA Police hired former US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agent, Paul Larsen back in 2019 to come to WA to help co-ordinate the WA's war on drugs.

I raise this article in this thread as Larson is quoted as saying how much the DEA methods to prosecute those higher up the ladder relies a lot on informants and witnesses as opposed to mainly surveillance (like the covert surveillance in the ANOM sting).

Revealed: The top DEA agent now working for WA Police

He helped capture two of the world’s most prolific weapons traffickers, turned a cartel boss into a DEA informant and worked cases against the Taliban and al-Qaida. Now he works with the WA Police Force.

thewest.com.au

'Mr Larsen advocates an old-school strategy for taking on global drug syndicates. For him, it’s about going back to building relationships.
He said Mr Blanch wanted the State to adopt a more global approach in its war on drugs in order to “prosecute people up the ladder”.
“Australia, collectively, needs to understand that the world has shrunk,” Mr Larsen said. “So, it’s a collective reset of thinking (that is needed) — a different way of building a case. Informants, witnesses (for example) instead of mainly surveillance. “He likes the way the DEA works their cases — how they build cases, always looking up the ladder, as opposed to ... just concentrating on who they catch at that moment.”'

 

[Kwality]

For the technically oriented & me:

Market Research Telecast

marketresearchtelecast.com

'Joseph Cox, a journalist for Vice magazine, shared a video on his Twitter account on Thursday that allows take a look inside Anom, an encrypted messaging company whose ‘app’ was used by members of hundreds of organized crime groups around the world, while actively helping the FBI and the Australian Police to track down some of their clients.

Among other images, you can see multiple mobiles connected by cables to two computers, while a company employee installs custom Anom ‘software’ on them, and then mails the devices to their users, informs the middle.'

More on the link.

 

[BFew]

Round 2!

How many more rounds to go?

Lawyers, bikies on huge new sting list

At least 160 targets are set to be arrested over coming months, as the Australian Federal Police launch a second phase of a nationally co-ordinated strike against organised crime.

www.news.com.au

 

[Kwality]

Round 2!

How many more rounds to go?

Lawyers, bikies on huge new sting list

At least 160 targets are set to be arrested over coming months, as the Australian Federal Police launch a second phase of a nationally co-ordinated strike against organised crime.

www.news.com.au

“You will see AFP or our state law enforcement partners executing search warrants across Australia in the coming months,’’ Assistant Commissioner Nigel Ryan said. “It is just a matter of time before we scoop up those who believed they had gotten away with their crimes – like the alleged criminals who smashed or burned their ANOM devices.”

When the platform was shut down in June, about 19 million messages relating to Australia had been captured.

Companies and professionals either knowingly of unwittingly facilitating serious organised crime are among those expected to be targeted next.

New intelligence ..... the AFP saying it discovered crime gangs were using dive teams to attach and retrieve drugs from cargo ships.
Criminals purchased equipment including underwater propulsion devices to help them descend and ascend quickly. Waste management services were being used to pick up drugs hidden in bins in ports.
Criminals were also sharing legal advice over ANOM about which lawyers they were using and what legal advice they were provided.

NoCookies | The Australian

www.theaustralian.com.au

 

[Kwality]

Good update by Aunty:

Police have arrested hundreds of suspected drug traffickers in a global sting, now they're going after their trusted insiders

Six months since the AFP revealed how Operation Ironside used an encrypted messaging app to listen in on organised criminals, the investigation has a new target.

www.abc.net.au

Key points:

• Almost 1,000 suspects have been arrested and tonnes of drugs seized in a worldwide crackdown
• Police are still analysing millions of messages from the ANOM encrypted app
• Investigations are now turning to the industry insiders recruited by organised crime

 

[Kurve]

The encryption for Encrochat was cracked a while back, Scotland's gangsters are feeling it.

Organised crime in Scotland set to be decapitated as dozens facing jail

Experts claim a catalogue of convictions will wreak carnage on crime networks after cops breached the secret EncroChat mobile phone network.

www.dailyrecord.co.uk

 

[Kwality]

Another pinch: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01...uffed-in-pillows-stopped-at-wa-port/100738900

The men — aged 31, 32 and 35 — have been charged with attempting to possess a commercial quality of unlawfully imported, border-controlled drugs, and each faces life imprisonment if convicted.

After being remanded in custody on December 31, the trio is due to re-appear today in Perth Magistrates Court.

 

[BFew]

The News Corp media is leading tomorrow's papers with a series of articles on an ANOM assisted a crackdown on the Calabrian Mafia activities in Australia as a prelude to a reported AFP media conference on the operation.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-victoria/more-than-50-suspected-italian-crime-families-under-investigation-by-the-australian-federal-police/news-story/8687bbdd122707dbbb992dbc1938449a

'June 6, 2022 - 11:04PM'

'The Australian Federal Police will on Tuesday announce details of a major assault on Italian organised crime gangs bringing in billions of dollars in drugs and washing dirty money.

High-profile business players are among an estimated 5000 people believed involved in the Australian Calabrian Mafia activities.'

 

[Kwality]

Another AFP extradltion:

Chung Chak Lee, 66, is suspected of being one of the key lieutenants of the syndicate called ‘The Company’, a multi-headed, multi-billion dollar organisation which has targeted Australia with tonnes of drugs and hundreds of millions in cash.

The man was arrested in his Bangkok apartment in October 2020 by Thai authorities carrying out an arrest warrant based on charges to be laid in Australia.

The dual national has appeared before Melbourne Magistrates Court facing a charge of conspiracy to traffic a commercial quantity of a controlled drug of which the maximum penalty is life imprisonment.

Australian Federal Police escort Chung Chak Lee at Melbourne Airport on Saturday June 11.
Credit: Australian Federal Police/Australian Federal Police


AFP Assistant Commissioner Krissy Barrett says his extradition is part of a long-running investigation into a prolific transnational organised crime syndicate.
“The extradition of someone we allege to be high on the pecking order of this serious criminal syndicate is a significant milestone for the AFP,” she said on Sunday.
“It shows the AFP and its partners remain one step ahead in working tirelessly to keep our community safe”.

Alleged drug cartel kingpin EXTRADITED to Australia

An alleged senior drug syndicate associate has been extradited from Thailand to Australia over a conspiracy to import 40kg of methamphetamines.

www.perthnow.com.au

https://signup.moneymorning.com.au/..._7gUH_2Eom0g9cmsgVUdrHkqyCnkT8omv7qt5_qzMefAQ


https://panzer.quest/?l=en&r=tabpq1..._7gUH_2Eom0g9cmsgVUdrHkqyCQuUMojvPU5YGWpKDvAQ

https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trac..._7gUH_2Eom0g9cmsgVUdrHkqyDpxUYo2Inn3cWx2re_AQ

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Another AFP extradltion:

Chung Chak Lee, 66, is suspected of being one of the key lieutenants of the syndicate called ‘The Company’, a multi-headed, multi-billion dollar organisation which has targeted Australia with tonnes of drugs and hundreds of millions in cash.

The man was arrested in his Bangkok apartment in October 2020 by Thai authorities carrying out an arrest warrant based on charges to be laid in Australia.

The dual national has appeared before Melbourne Magistrates Court facing a charge of conspiracy to traffic a commercial quantity of a controlled drug of which the maximum penalty is life imprisonment.

Australian Federal Police escort Chung Chak Lee at Melbourne Airport on Saturday June 11.
Credit: Australian Federal Police/Australian Federal Police


AFP Assistant Commissioner Krissy Barrett says his extradition is part of a long-running investigation into a prolific transnational organised crime syndicate.
“The extradition of someone we allege to be high on the pecking order of this serious criminal syndicate is a significant milestone for the AFP,” she said on Sunday.
“It shows the AFP and its partners remain one step ahead in working tirelessly to keep our community safe”.

Alleged drug cartel kingpin EXTRADITED to Australia

An alleged senior drug syndicate associate has been extradited from Thailand to Australia over a conspiracy to import 40kg of methamphetamines.

www.perthnow.com.au

https://signup.moneymorning.com.au/1986644?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=sevenwestmedia-perthnow&utm_campaign=X920X8BT+|+MONEYMOR+|+Lithium+Stocks+|+Publisher+List+Test+|+D&tblci=GiB2e_Ql1y6dBjSrz168f_7gUH_2Eom0g9cmsgVUdrHkqyCnkT8omv7qt5_qzMefAQ#tblciGiB2e_Ql1y6dBjSrz168f_7gUH_2Eom0g9cmsgVUdrHkqyCnkT8omv7qt5_qzMefAQ


Panzer Quest

Roadside Assistance Victoria | 24/7 Australia-Wide - RACV

Also, his boss was caught in Amsterdam on route to his homeland of Canada & Australia looking to extradite.

 

[Kwality]

Southern NSW man charged over 1.2 tonne cocaine import plot

A 36 year-old man from the NSW Riverina city of Griffith is due to face court in Sydney today.

www.abc.net.au

Another pinch by Operation Ironside:

'A man from the NSW Riverina city of Griffith has been charged over his alleged involvement in a plot to import more than a tonne of cocaine into the country from Ecuador.

Federal police inside a home as part of their investigation.(Supplied: Australian Federal Police)

Australian Federal Police allege the 36-year-old gave $120,000 in cash on behalf of a multi-national organised crime syndicate to a group of Sydney-based associates, which was then used to pay a crew to collect the cocaine from a vessel at sea.

It's alleged the syndicate planned to transfer the cocaine between ships and was scheduled to arrive in Australia in June 2021.

Australian Federal Police say officers searched a home near Griffith in late May and found encrypted devices, an extendable baton and knife.

The authority said a number of other men had been charged in relation to the alleged plot which was discovered during Operation Ironside, a sting focused on organised crime in Australia.'

 

[Kwality]

Operation Ironside takes another head: Mark Buddle
Buddle reportedly left the safe haven of Cyprus to travel to Germany to meet with a fellow gang member before travelling onto Turkey when he was apprehended.
He left Dubai last year in the wake of the AFP’s Operation Ironside encrypted phone sting, after it emerged the app was a trojan horse allowing authorities to keep tabs on the underworld.
He is reportedly too afraid of being extradited to Australia to return to Dubai.

Buddle was also named in Operation Ironside court documents as being involved in a conflict with gangster Mejid Hamzy, who was gunned down outside his Western Sydney home in October 2020.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/gangland-fugitive-buddle-arrested-by-fbi-in-sting/news-story/5df6d4b6711a8f686295f5458ecf7eaf

 

[BFew]

Gird thy loins folks.
Popcorn time for 2 weeks from April 17, 2023.
Starring a herd of lawyers and the ANOM 66.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-nsw/revealed-56-accused-named-in-an0m-challenge-lawsuit/news-story/cf401d26caa2ddd6bb8dd8b0e7d1744e

'Revealed: 66 accused named in AN0M challenge lawsuit'
It’s the lawsuit around the ‘sting of the century’: 66 applicants, 14 witnesses, 10 days worth of hearings: welcome to the AN0M legal challenge'

'March 16, 2023 - 11:22AM'

'The identities of the 66 alleged criminals who have joined a class-action style lawsuit challenging the legality of the AN0M app have been revealed in court, as lawyers prepare for a complex hearing expected to run for up to two weeks.'
....
'The group, nicknamed the ‘AN0M 66’, are seeking to challenge the legality of evidence collected by the AN0M app, which was the basis for a massive international police operation dubbed the sting of the century.'
...
'During a preliminary court hearing on Thursday, barrister Sophie Callan SC, appearing for the AFP, said the respective legal teams had agreed that 14 witnesses would be called to give evidence in the case.

It is expected the court will hear about the technology behind the app, as well as evidence from those responsible for overseeing it and monitoring the communications.'

At least one person is expected to give evidence by video link from a remote location, while the identities of some of the witnesses are likely to be suppressed due to the sensitive nature of their jobs.

The hearing, before Magistrate Robert Williams, is scheduled to begin on April 17 and will take place at the NSW Coroner’s Court complex in Lidcombe in order to accommodate the sheer number of lawyers required to be in the courtroom.'

'THE AN0M 66
Mostafa Baluch
George Chambour
Jovanco Kitanovski
Julian Lee
Ashley Charles Rake
Mende Trajkoski
Otenili Iongi
Anucha Mukdadilok
Son Minh Nguyen
David John Walker
Houldarath Ouch
Frank Meredith
Samir El Husseini
Gjelosh Nikollaj
Tele Fakaosituuiolo Langi
Edward Lavulo
Michael Thomas Mate
Mohenoa Okustino
Michael Robertson
David John Potter
Ali Khanafrer
Daniele Lavermicocca
Astra Waetford
Tony Tautua
Rabih Mohamed
Lindsay Philip Giles
Edward Jay Ryan
Paul Justin Bradbury
Keiron Ronald Westwood
Ronald Louangamart
Ayhan Dogan
Edward Lee
Christos Siafakas
Andrew Creswick
Hugo Jacobs
Tishan David
Sayet Erhan Akca
Dimitrovski Blagojce
Nicias Jacob Walsh
Peter James Maddison
Oktay Testici
Maher Aouli
Mangd Kang Ho
Manase Lavulo
Zekrullah Adib
Danny Sua
Robert Damcevski
Daniele Lavermicocca
Judah Lavulo
John Allan Filipaina
Elias Milad Hachem
John William Filipe
Nicholas Vostanis
Mitchell Ryan Peters
Ali Sulaiman
Dwane Lapraik
Mitchell Peter Jones
Pantelis Spyrou
Brent McLauchlin
Nikoloa Tauliili Misa
Bradley Colin Peters
Ahmad Nazzal
Jarrod Patrick Gallagher
Ian William Templeton
Frank Farrugia
Brian Anthony Blackman'

 

[Kwality]

Certainly plenty of action in the $laundry:

'Austrac accepts an enforceable undertaking from PayPal Australia to ensure compliance with Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws.

The undertaking comes after AUSTRAC identified concerns with PayPal’s systems, controls and governance in relation to its international funds transfer instructions reporting.

PayPal has already undertaken significant work, including an independent audit, to strengthen its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws program and has committed to provide AUSTRAC with independent assurance of the suitability and sustainability of this work as it progresses to business as usual.'

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/trading-day/live-asx-200-may-rise-wall-st-up-on-first-republic-rescue-plans-ecbs-50bps-hike/live-coverage/2f650e7ee9ebd51f1db4d79a9d243ff4#94662

 

[Kwality]

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/secret-australian-federal-police-taskforce-avarus-hunts-for-billions-in-money-laundering-plots/news-story/cb6609c08a74d779faa2904381eb7126

'Just before Christmas, a financier was queuing up at the Hermes flagship store in Sydney to buy a tie. The minutes ticked by as he waited behind a woman with several bags.
“There was a continuous whirring sound and when I peeked behind the counter there were two people manning a money-counting machine, clearly well versed in what they were doing,” said the fund manager, who did not want to be named.

“I had to ask myself how much cash are you dealing with to need such a machine and staff who know how to operate it?”

Super-luxury goods store Hermes is not breaking any Australian rules by having such a machine and taking large payments in cash – although by law it can’t do the same in its home country of France or most of Europe.

Indeed, Hermes is not alone. A ring around revealed The Hour Glass and J. Farren-Price Jewellers, both official outlets for luxury watch brands Rolex and Patek Philippe, have money-counting machines, as does Kennedy Luxury Watches and Jewellery. The list would go on.

None would comment on how many of their clients pay cash for bags or watches that can retail for more than $100,000. None of them is required to track or report the transactions to the financial watchdog either.'



Money is of limited value when you cant spend it.

 

[Kwality]

& ANOM is legal:
'The encrypted communication platform at the heart of an international police operation that led to hundreds of arrests and the dismantling of alleged organised crime syndicates was legally run by police, a court has ruled.
Phones with the AN0M app installed were used by thousands of people in Australia who police allege were using the devices to further criminal activities.

The devices were secretly being monitored by the FBI and Australian Federal Police who, on June 8, 2021, disabled the app and moved to arrest hundreds of people across the globe.'

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/justice-adam-kimber-rules-an0m-app-was-not-intercepting-messages-but-enabled-legal-police-surveillance/news-story/e6577a2bae9290e8fe87e4481071cb03

'On Wednesday, Justice Adam Kimber, who has heard months of evidence as part of the nation leading Ironside test case, found the phones did not allow the AFP to illegally intercept phone communications.

Lawyers for two men have sought to challenge the evidence gathered as part of Operation Ironside on a number of fronts.

Arguably the most important was whether the AN0M app enabled police to “surveil” the messages sent between users, or was an “interception” of the messages.'


'AFP officers had electronic surveillance device warrants for two servers – code named Rick and Morty – in Sydney where a blind carbon copy of all messages would eventually be sent.

However, barristers for the two accused argued police had been “intercepting” the messages and needed a warrant for each phone to make the operation legal.

Director of Public Prosecutions Martin Hinton KC, prosecuting, argued the messages sent over the AN0M platform were not interfered with while they were in the telecommunications network.

The devices were programmed to send a copy of each message sent to a server out of Australia automatically once a message was sent.'

The men’s legal team, which included leading Adelaide lawyers Craig Caldicott and Domenic Agresta, as well as silks Michael Abbott KC, David Edwardson KC and Damian O’Leary SC, argued the messages had been intercepted during transmission.

They argued the AN0M phones were connected to a telecommunications network and any transfer of information began before the message copy had been created.

While the judgment is likely to be appealed, it is a blow to the defence of the hundreds of Ironside-accused across Australia.'
'A finding that the messages had been intercepted illegally would have made them all inadmissable in court and undermined most high-profile prosecutions.

Further judgments are expected in the coming weeks as Justice Kimber makes rulings on other legal arguments.'

 

[GreyCrow]

Am I correct in assuming the case came down to - did the police surveil the warehouse or each individual suspected of visiting the warehouse - and if the latter did they need individual warrants?

 

[Kwality]

Am I correct in assuming the case came down to - did the police surveil the warehouse or each individual suspected of visiting the warehouse - and if the latter did they need individual warrants?

Why would you assume that ?
Isnt it communications laws. What you can & cant do legally.