Ernesto Antonio Silva gets bail after drug, weapons trafficking arrest

A southeast Queensland plasterer arrested as part of a huge police operation focusing on organised crime is facing serious drug trafficking charges.

A Springwood father-of-three arrested in the huge Operation Ironside sting over his alleged involvement in a sophisticated criminal syndicate has been released on bail.

Plasterer Ernesto Antonio Silva, 33, is accused of trafficking hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of firearms and dangerous drugs with the assistance of ‘trojan horse‘ messaging software AN0M.

The court heard a device with the software was located at Silva’s property during Operation Ironside raids but Justice Susan Brown said “what the encrypted communication device was used for is another question”.

Crown prosecutor J Daniels argued that Silva was implicated as part of a wider syndicate operation in conversations on the device, including inquiries to co-accused Benjamin Joseph Haylock in 2020 about purchasing weapons and large amounts of cannabis and methamphetamine.

“They are discussing selling $80,000 worth per kilogram, so substantial quantities,” Ms Daniels said.

Silva was also alleged to be implicated in a transfer of approximately $241,000 cash to Brisbane carpenter Christopher John Spurling, alleged to be related to the purchase of firearms.

“It’s those sort of quantities that the crown would say at this stage indicates the strength of the case in the wider syndicate,” Ms Daniels said.

Spurling and Haylock have both been charged with trafficking in dangerous drugs and unlawful trafficking in weapons.
However, lawyer Adam Guest said there was no evidence Silva was a member of a criminal syndicate, but rather was a client of Haylock.

He pointed to an intercepted conversation between the pair allegedly about supplying drugs to another person in which Haylock requested to deal directly with a potential client.

“That’s very compelling evidence that there is no syndicate, that Mr Silva is only a customer of Mr Haylock, there is no evidence that they are doing anything together,” he said.

Mr Guest conceded there was a potentially strong case against Silva for cannabis trafficking, but argued there was no evidence that he was involved in the purchase or sale of weapons and that the evidence of methamphetamine trafficking was weak.

Silva is married with three children and recently began a new job as a plasterer.

He is an Australian citizen with no criminal history.

The Crown argued that bail should be refused because Silva posed an unacceptable risk of offending while in the community and interfering with witnesses.

Justice Brown granted bail under several conditions including he must wear a tracking device and have no contact with co-accused or associates.