Comanchero-linked Sydney fixer jailed in US over AN0M sting

A Sydney man, with links to suspected cocaine kingpin Hakan Ayik, will spend years behind bars after he was the first person to be sentenced in relation to the AN0M sting in the US.

A Sydney fixer with links to suspected cocaine kingpin Hakan Ayik has been sentenced to five years’ jail in the United States for selling a secret messaging app to criminals.

Osemah Elhassen will be locked up in a California prison after he pleaded guilty to selling smartphones with AN0M encrypted apps across Colombia.

But the AN0M phones were actually a Trojan Horse operation set up by the FBI and Australian Federal Police, who monitored in real time more than 27 million messages sent across the globe.

Sydney man Osemah Elhassen.

The 51 year old was the first to be sentenced in relation to the AN0M sting in the United States.

“This case has such broad implications. I’ve never had a case like this before,” US District Judge Janis Sammartino said.

Elhassen, who was described as having Lebanese-Australian background, had been living in Colombia working as a fixer for cocaine networks.

The United States Attorney’s Office said “according to his plea agreement, (Elhassen) admitted to helping accomplish the illegal objectives of that enterprise, including drug trafficking, money laundering, and obstruction of justice offences.”

Elhassen pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy “in connection with the AN0M enterprise”.

He was one of 17 accused in the case, with Ayik named as the lead defendant who was also charged with racketeering.

Hakan Ayik in arrest vision released by Turkish authorities. Picture: Supplied

Ayik, who police say became a global figure in charge of the multi-billion dollar Aussie Cartel, was arrested in Istanbul last year along with 36 other suspects.

The former student at James Cook High School in Kogarah in Sydney was listed as Joseph Hakan Ayik on United States court documents.

Ayik had links to the Comanchero and has been accused of being a major player in cocaine distribution.

His arrests by Turkish National Police were assisted with intelligence from a team led by AFP Assistant Commissioner Nigel Ryan, who had pursued him for more than a decade.

Ayik, a Turkish citizen, was unlikely to be extradited to the United States to face charges.

Colombian National Police display $240m worth of cocaine seized in Cartagena. Picture: Jason Edwards

However, he remains before Turkish courts amid allegations of money laundering, with $250 million seized as part of the widespread arrests in November last year.

“The ANOM ENTERPRISE Administrators, Distributors, Agents, and clients distributed and facilitated the distribution of federally controlled substances, including cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana, using ANOM devices,” the US court indictment said.

Elhassen was arrested in Colombia in June 2021, at the time when police unmasked themselves as the puppet masters of the ANOM app.

He was extradited to the United States in May 2023 and pleaded guilty in May this year.

Director General William Rene Salamanca Ramirez of Colombian National Police. Pictures: Jason Edwards. Picture: Jason Edwards

US Attorney Tara McGrath said Elhassen’s “sentence demonstrates that even those who go to the greatest lengths to hide will be held to account.

“Despite use of sophisticated technology and extreme measures to conceal the criminal enterprise, Mr. Elhassen could not thwart federal investigators,” Ms McGrath said.

The FBI, which codenamed the AN0M sting Operation Trojan Shield, said it would continue to work with international law enforcement to combat organised crime.

“Evidence collected during Operation Trojan Shield showed that distributors of ANOM devices, like Mr Elhassen, were not merely providing a messaging service but enabling and facilitating Transnational Criminal Organisations,” FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge, Stacey Moy, said.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Kirsty Schofield said in June that Operation Ironside had led to more than 60 offenders being sentenced to a combined 307 years’ jail in Australia.

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