Two Adelaide mafia figures charged alongside Lone Wolf bikies with conspiracy to import 1.5t of cocaine

Court documents have revealed frantic text messages allegedly between two SA mafia figures, after a man was arrested over a 10kg cocaine shipment.

Two members of the Calabrian mafia living in the northern suburbs of Adelaide have been charged with conspiracy to import more than a tonne of cocaine from South America.

The two men, whose names are suppressed, join the Sergeant at Arms of the Lone Wolf outlaw motorcycle gang and others allegedly linked to the gang facing the same charges in NSW.

Australian Federal Police and prosecutors have alleged the 1.5t of cocaine was to be sourced from Ecuador.

A photo of an alleged senior mafia figure now one of a larger syndicate charged with attempting to import 1.5t of cocaine, and also faces charges over a 10kg cocaine seizure at Adelaide Airport.

Tereapii Pokoina, who pleaded guilty to his involvement over a 10kg cocaine shipment, leaves Adelaide Magistrates Court. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

Police allege the enormous shipment was to be handed over from a South American ship to a Filipino boat crew during a rendezvous in international waters.

However, police allege the audacious plan fell over when the delivery of the drugs was delayed in South America due to protests in Colombia.

Last month the two Adelaide men were charged with conspiracy to import the 1.5t of cocaine.

LISTED: SA’s 111 Ironside-accused, a year on

Both men are also accused of importing 10kg of cocaine hidden in a safe, which was in turn placed in an industrial welder.

The 10kg in cocaine was intercepted at Adelaide Airport and Tereapii Pokoina charged over the importation. He has since pleaded guilty to that charge.

Other members of the alleged syndicate behind the importation were arrested in June last year on Ironside resolution day.

Reams of messages were allegedly intercepted between the men talking about the delivery of the drugs and the arrest of Pokoina.

Some of the packages found in the safe that contained cocaine.

One of the bricks of cocaine found inside the safe.

The 1.5t cocaine shipment conspiracy

Brian Anthony Blackman, 51, from Maroubra, Jarrod Patrick Gallagher, 40, from Randwick and David John Potter were all charged with conspiracy to import the 1.5t of cocaine in February.

A charge sheet released by the Adelaide Magistrates Court shows one of the Adelaide men, aged in his 40s, is also charged with conspiracy to traffic a commercial quantity of methamphetamine and dealing with proceeds of crime valued at more than $1m.

Mr Blackman and Mr Gallagher are charged with the same offences along with Elias Elchaar, the national sergeant-at-arms of the Lone Wolf bikie gang, who is yet to enter a plea.

It is understood the members of the bikie gang would take delivery of the shipment.

The patch for the Lone Wolf outlaw motorcycle, members of which have been charged with conspiracy to import 1.5t of cocaine.

All charges stem from the analysis of millions of messages seized from the encrypted AN0M app by state and federal police attached to Operation Ironside.

One of the Adelaide men, who is aged in his 30s, was named in an FBI indictment as a high-level organised-crime influencer and distributor of AN0M-enabled devices.

Both men are alleged to be members of the ‘Ndrangheta, or the Calabrian mafia.

The Australian Federal Police confirmed on Tuesday messages intercepted during the investigation showed extensive links between the mafia clans and families and outlaw motorcycle gangs.

The AFP successfully applied to the Supreme Court to freeze $473,257.38 held by the man in various bank accounts as well as restraining a northern-suburbs home and almost $250,000 worth of cryptocurrency.

The other man had four properties with a total value of more than a million dollars frozen.

The properties were held in the names of various companies registered to the man and his family.

AFP assistant commissioner of crime command Nigel Ryan said that Australian and Italian authorities had been working together to map the lineage and operation of the crime families.

“We have about 51 Italian organised-crime clans in Australia,” he said.

“We have identified 14 confirmed ‘Ndrangheta clans across Australia, involving thousands of members.

“Our picture of the clans is continuing to grow, but intelligence suggests their overall membership could potentially be similar to that of patched members in Australian outlaw motorcycle gangs. That shows how subterranean and significant the ‘Ndrangheta are in Australia.”