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 | SEE THE LIST
Police & Courts
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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 most high-profile of the bunch is Mostafa Baluch, who made national headlines in November 2021 when he was caught trying to flee the state while on bail for allegedly attempting to import nearly a tonne of cocaine into Australia.
He will be joined by father-to-be George Chambour, who stands accused of trafficking a commercial quantity of methylamphetamine, while Bondi fitness instructor Julian Lee, the husband of Insta-famous pole dancer ‘Dirdy Birdy’, is also among the applicants.
Others on the list include alleged money launderer Mende Trajkoski, Astro Waetford, the uncle of pop singer and actor Jai Waetford (Jai is not accused of any wrongdoing), and Comanchero bikie Maher Afoul.
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.
The AN0M app itself was a secure messaging platform set up by authorities as part of a joint venture between the FBI in the United States, the Australian Federal Police and other law enforcement agencies targeting criminal organisations around the world.
The device containing the app was covertly distributed to alleged underworld figures, who began using it to communicate with each other.
Unbeknown to users, every message was being intercepted by law enforcement officials, who spent three years gathering evidence against hundreds of alleged criminals before revealing to sting to the world in 2021.
Police made more than 1000 arrests globally, including 224 in Australia, under the codename Operation Ironside.
The AFP will allege in court that those arrested are linked to criminal enterprises such as the Australian-based Italian mafia, outlaw motorcycle gangs, Asian crime syndicates and Albanian organised crime networks.
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
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