Five Auckland-based criminals duped into giving away trade secrets to a fake encrypted messaging app dreamed up by international law enforcement pleaded guilty this week to drug trafficking offences.
The Crown withdrew a participating in organised criminal activity charge against a sixth person.
Nafetalai Solomone, Beni Lea’aetoa, Folauhola Meiloto Okalani Ki Tutulupeatau Polaulu, Malakai Alovili and Storee Jack Gobbie Felix King were among more than 500 people arrested worldwide as a result of Operation Trojan Shield, which has been dubbed the “sting of the century” since it was executed in 2021.
New Zealand’s National Organised Crime Group was first told the secret of the “Anom” app in 2019. The scheme was concocted by the United States FBI and the Australian Federal Police, exploiting the fact that organised criminal groups often rely on end-to-end encryption messaging apps, which cannot be intercepted by police, unlike normal phone text messages.
The assumption for many would have been that the Anom app was similarly safe from police snooping. That assumption, however, was fundamentally wrong.
“ ... Users believed their communications to be encrypted when, in reality, law enforcement agencies were accessing Anom data,” the summary of facts that each defendant agreed to stated.
“The security offered by an encrypted platform such as this allowed the defendants to communicate in a more open manner than would traditionally be expected across a more standard communication media.”
From the tips obtained through the worldwide Operation Trojan Shield, New Zealand authorities narrowed their focus to several local groups, including the men who pleaded guilty this week. That investigation was dubbed Operation Seltos.
The defendants were tracked between October 2019 and November 2020, at which time police identified them as members of a drug syndicate dealing in commercial quantities of methamphetamine.
In addition to messaging, the app allowed users to keep a ledger of drug supplies, payments and money owed.
Of those who pleaded guilty this week, all but one will face up to life imprisonment when they return to the High Court at Auckland in May for sentencing. The guilty pleas were entered during three separate hearings before Justices Mathew Downs and Michele Wilkinson-Smith.
Solomone – the highest-ranking of those who pleaded guilty but not the leader of the group – admitted to 24 charges. They included participating in organised criminal activity, possession of guns and ammunition, laundering about $1.8 million, possession of 200 “Gucci” ecstasy pills for supply and a conspiracy to import at least 750kg of methamphetamine into New Zealand.
Operating under a variety of handles on the Anon app, his jobs included managing the ledgers and co-ordinating and collecting payments, court documents state.
The 750kg conspiracy, hatched in October 2020, involved using a port worker contact of Solomone’s to help smuggle the drugs inside an industrial-sized aluminium roller and Yamaha generators, according to police.
“Mr Solomone found a car yard in Manukau that had agreed to use their address in exchange for $200,000 or 10% of the total amount of drugs imported,” the agreed summary of facts states.
But in January, messaging indicates that he had “lost their port guy” and five days later they also lost use of the car yard, “as the contact there could not afford to pay the rent”.
Authorities knew from their covert observations of Solomone that he was a fan of illegal firearms. He took several selfies at his home holding a Glock pistol and what was described as an “Uzi replica” semi-automatic firearm. He faces up to four years’ imprisonment for possessing seven guns and an ammunition stockpile of over 750 rounds.
In addition to the 24 charges he pleaded guilty to, another 24 were withdrawn by the Crown.
Polaulu, who pleaded guilty to seven charges, “acquired large amounts of methamphetamine to supply to lower-ranked members of the syndicate”, court documents state. Known on the app as either “Crow” or “Face”, he also helped arrange drug and cash drop-offs, police alleged.
His charges allege he possessed for supply at least 30kg of methamphetamine on different occasions.
Alovili, known on the app as Cube, VIMr King and Valu, admitted to three counts of possessing methamphetamine for supply and King, known as Montana, pleaded guilty to one count of the same charge.
Lea’aetoa, known as Rambo, is set to be sentenced for a single charge of conspiring to supply methamphetamine, punishable by up to 14 years’ imprisonment.
Crown prosecutor Henry Steele agreed on Friday to withdraw the lone charge against a sixth man, Richard Tauaalo, known as Sydney and Dark1.
He had initially been accused of inquiring about 5kg of methamphetamine. He was not present in court when the charge was withdrawn because of a conflict with his chemotherapy treatment, his lawyer said.
Charges remain pending against others, including the alleged head of the operation, who remains overseas.
Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.
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