Hundreds of AN0M messages traded by criminal underworld released by SA courts

Australia’s most dangerous criminals allegedly used the AN0M app to run underworld gangs fuelled by drugs and violence. For the first time, today we publish the contents of their secret chat groups.

In courts across the country, prosecutors have presented thousands of messages retrieved from the encrypted AN0M app – revealing the inner workings and culture of organised crime groups.

The messages reveal a world which exists beneath the surface of normal society – a world of vast amounts of cash, coded language around drug production, and the ever-present threat of violence.

They also show a level of paranoia and the fear of being caught, as well as the illusion of brotherhood masking a willingness to backstab or rip off anyone for a quick buck.

Here for the first time are hundreds of AN0M message exchanges released by courts and included in legal documents.

EXPLORE THE UNDERWORLD MESSAGES

EDITOR’S NOTE: This interactive may not work on some Android devices and Apple News. If the content does not display, tap here to view the interactive in a web browser. The contents of these messages may offend some readers.

Readers can explore messages traded between alleged members of the country’s criminal underworld.

The messages can be read by selecting from dozens of AN0M users, or refined by topics to return conversations that discuss the supply of different drugs, obtaining of weapons or the plotting of violence.

Internationally, the messages have revealed the inner workings of “Facebook Gangster” Hakan Ayik’s organisation and the cold clinical manner in which he moves members of his syndicate around the world.

Closer to home, alleged members of criminal syndicates discuss fashion – luxury watches and fast cars, as well as where to order the right figure-hugging top to show off biceps.

South Australian courts have released hundreds of messages that were exchanged on the AN0M app.

But for every pleasant interaction wishing someone a happy birthday or checking in to see how someone is holding up through a break-up, there are messages with the undercurrent of violence.

“Caving” and “stomping” are always an option when talking about drug debts or, even worse in the eyes of organised crime groups, other dealers undercutting business.

The messages show that an uneasy alliance exists across Australia between intersecting and overlapping groups.

From Sydney, drugs are sent east in vast quantities. Returning to Sydney is huge amounts of cash from western cities and regions.

That cash is then wired overseas to the international figures controlling the flow of drugs.

Regardless of the legality of the messages and the fate of the hundreds of prosecutions currently underway – the intelligence gathered as part of Operation Ironside is invaluable.

Originally published as Hundreds of AN0M messages traded by criminal underworld released by SA courts