AN0M arrests Adelaide: SA Police launch new Operation Ironside arresting 55 people
Nearly 300 police have been involved in an operation that saw 813 charges laid, the likes of which the deputy police commissioner hasn’t seen in her entire career.
An “unprecedented” SA Police sting linked to the encrypted messaging app AN0M has led to the arrest 55 people – and the seizure of $25.8 million worth of assets – during early-morning raids across the state.
DAY ONE ANOM ARRESTS NAMED
DAY TWO IRONSIDE ARRESTS NAMED
In a highly-co-ordinated effort, following a High Court ruling earlier this month, almost 300 police officers carried out searches of 23 houses from 5am on Wednesday morning, taking all suspects into custody without incident.
They have been charged with a combined 813 serious criminal offences, including drug trafficking, drug manufacturing and money laundering.
During the complex operation, police restrained more than $25.8 million in assets, including 23 properties, 68 vehicles, two Harley Davidson motorcycles and bank accounts containing $588,000.
A further $142,000 is cash, as well as a small amount of cannabis, cocaine and steroids, were also seized during the raids, which was the third operation of its kind related to the encrypted messaging app AN0M.
The Australian Federal Police and the FBI developed the encrypted AN0M devices and sent them to alleged criminals to secretly monitor them and their alleged criminal activities – leading to simultaneous raids across 18 countries on June 7, 2021.
About 400 alleged offenders across Australia under “Operation Ironside” have been charged since that time.
During the June 7, 2021 SA raids, more than 400 officers kicked down the doors of almost 50 properties across Adelaide.
However a High Court challenge on the validity of the use of the encrypted app in prosecutions threatened to derail the cases.
But earlier this month the court ruled the appeal was moot and the use of the AN0M app was lawful, paving the way for SA Police to organise and execute Wednesday’s sting.
SA Police Deputy Commissioner Linda said the “impact that (Wednesday’s arrests) will have will be quite immediate in terms of community safety”.
“This is a significant blow to organised crime in South Australia,” she said.
“I don’t recall this number of people being arrested in one day in my entire time with SAPOL, so yes it (today) is unprecedented.”
Ms Williams said one of the suspects arrested in Wednesday’s raids, which occurred mainly across metropolitan Adelaide but also included some regional properties, was a full member of the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang, while others were associated with various gangs.
She said the sting was conducted after police reviewed more than 2.5 million AN0M messages.
Ms Williams said police expect to make more arrests in the future in relation to the operation.
Meanwhile, Attorney-General Kyam Maher said the arrests should be celebrated.
“I gotta say this is a good thing for South Australia,” Mr Maher said.
“When we’re seeing involvement in organised crime, particularly outlaw motorcycle gangs, and the misery they bring on individuals, families, communities being arrested and held to account, that is a good thing.”
