Ironside-accused Durim Krasniqi refused bail on large-scale drug trafficking charges over boat, plane AN0M messages

An alleged drug “kingpin” arrested under Operation Ironside bragged about having helicopters and boats and cash – but it was all a lie, a court has heard.

An alleged drug “kingpin” bragged about having helicopters, boats and the ability to do mid-sea handovers of drugs in international waters – but his lawyers say he was just “playing a big man” while trying to impress others, a court has heard.

Durim Krasniqi, 34, has been in custody since June 7, 2021 when hundreds of arrests were made across the world as the encrypted AN0M app was disabled.

Mr Krasniqi has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of commercial drug trafficking, five counts of large commercial trafficking and one count of manufacturing a large commercial quantity of a controlled drug.

In all cases the prosecution allege the drug was methamphetamine.

Earlier this month Mr Krasniqi applied to be released on strict home detention bail to help care for his partner and her son.

However, prosecutors opposed Mr Krasniqi’s release on any kind of bail, saying messages attributed to the man allegedly showed he was at the apex of a drug trafficking enterprise.

“On the prosecution case (Mr Krasniqi) operated at a high level in the South Australian drug trafficking scene,” the prosecutor said.

“He used a lot of people to do the hands-on work for him, including packaging, couriering drugs and collecting payment for those drugs.

“He operated at arm’s length from the physical drugs and money to avoid detection by the authorities.”

Social media photos of Durim Krasniqi, one of the Operation Ironside-accused.

The prosecution presented to the court a selection of messages from the AN0M app allegedly sent and received by Mr Krasniqi.

“Also I have a boat that can go to NT, about 500km out, 200 international waters,” one of the messages read, while another said “I have helicopters, aeroplanes too, I can do island pick-up and can also do meet in sea job”.

Prosecutors alleged Mr Krasniqi had sent messages indicating he was planning to move overseas and set himself up as a drug importer.

Lindy Powell KC, for Mr Krasniqi, said it was an example of the police “drawing the longest possible bow” and that there were many ways of reading the messages.

She said the messages discussing helicopters and boats were “bravado” and “big noting”.

Durim Krasniqi in 2007. Picture: The Advertiser.

“It’s just big people playing big men in the presence of other men that they want to impress,” she said.

“In any event, a full audit has been done in respect of this man’s affairs and there aren’t any helicopters, there aren’t any boats, there aren’t any planes.

“There’s no identified flow of funds overseas. Your honour can take judicial notice of the fact that you don’t just get money out of Australia with ease and there’s not a tittle of evidence about money going anywhere.”

On Thursday Judge Michael Burnett refused Mr Krasniqi’s application for bail.

He said though there was likely to be a lengthy delay before a trial, there was a significant risk Mr Krasniqi might have access to either large amounts of money or means to leave the country.

Mr Krasniqi’s trial is scheduled for the later half of 2024.

Originally published as Ironside-accused Durim Krasniqi refused bail on large-scale drug trafficking charges over boat, plane AN0M messages