Accused drug dealer Robin Reffo freed for wedding after AN0M sting

An alleged drug trafficker has been granted a late night out on bail after being netted in Operation Ironside’s AN0M sting.

An alleged tradie turned drug trafficker swept up in the global AN0M police sting has had his bail conditions relaxed so he can attend a family wedding.

Robin Reffo was one of more than 40 Victorians nabbed in Operation Ironside, the Australian Federal Police’s sting that used encrypted platform AN0M to decrypt and read communications in the criminal underworld.

At Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, Mr Reffo applied to have his bail-imposed curfew lifted for one night to allow him to attend a family wedding on October 29.

Robin Reffo has been freed to attend a wedding.

Mr Reffo, who police allege was part of a syndicate using the app to organise a shipment of methamphetamine and cocaine from the United States, was last year granted bail with “stringent” conditions including a 9pm-6am curfew and a ban on leaving Victoria.

On Tuesday, Magistrate Rohan Lawrence granted Mr Reffo a one-night reprieve, allowing him to attend a family wedding until midnight as long as police were informed of its location.

During his bail application last year, Mr Reffo’s mother-in-law Minira Sefa vouched for the accused drug trafficker, offering up a $1m surety to secure his freedom.

“I would not under any circumstances put what I have on the line if I wasn’t 1000 per cent sure that Robin wouldn’t do anything wrong (on bail),” she told the court.

At the time, prosecutors conceded Mr Reffo, then aged 36, was “lower in the hierarchy” of the syndicate but were concerned he posed a risk of fleeing to Turkey.

Court documents claim Mr Reffo, whose user ID on the app was “magicwould”, wrote to the syndicate’s accused ringleader, Danny Zayneh: “I’m all in brother can’t wait. Hahahaha, we will all get a good earn.”

Mr Zayneh replied: “F--- yeh brother, lol. Love your enthusiasm.”

Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Nigel Ryan on the first anniversary of the covert action taken under Operation Ironside.

The AFP allege Mr Reffo, who works as a carpenter, used a dead man’s identity and purported to be the recipient of tyre rims under the name of “George” for a dry run of their plot.

The drugs were to be concealed in the rims and delivered to co-accused Joe Scordo’s International Motor Cars business in Sunshine West.

Mr Reffo is also accused of trafficking and storing drugs for the syndicate, with $45,000 found in a safe in the laundry of his Werribee home, another $5000 in his car, and 3.5kg of drugs in the garage.

Mr Reffo is suspected of becoming embroiled in the syndicate through his gym buddy and co-accused Omar Dib, a kickboxer who acted as a “lieutenant” to Mr Zayneh.

He is charged with conspiring to import a commercial quantity of border controlled drugs, trafficking a commercial quantity of ice and dealing in proceeds of crime.

Mr Reffo isn’t expected to face trial until 2024 due to Covid-19 related delays in the court system.