THE money man for the NSW arm of an international drug supply and money laundering syndicate has been jailed for a maximum of six years, a judge labelling his involvement in the underworld operation "inexplicable".
Wickham man Lindsay Giles was initially motivated by "misguided loyalty" to a mate when he got involved in an organised crime network being directed by a high-ranking Comancheros bikie based in Thailand.
For about 18 months between 2019 and 2021, Giles, NSW syndicate head Edward Ryan, and at least four other members of the group based in NSW, had been using the AN0M app to facilitate laundering millions of dollars and supplying large quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA and cannabis.
According to court documents, the principal of the crime syndicate was high-ranking New Zealand Comancheros OMCG member Shane Ngakuru, who police say directed the operations from Thailand.
Giles' role in the syndicate was something of an accountant, managing the proceeds of the drug sales and keeping track of cash owed to the group.
He used the AN0M app to communicate with those higher up about how much money was available to buy large quantities of drugs.
In total, he dealt with $2.47 million that was the proceeds of crime and supplied 2.75 kilograms of cocaine between October 2019 and May 2021, just before the "sting of the century" was revealed to the world.
In reality, police had built it.
What Giles and other members of the syndicate did not know was that the supposedly secure encrypted messaging app was in fact a sophisticated trap, a Trojan horse created by law enforcement to access millions of messages sent by organised crime figures around the globe.
The app had been promoted by organised crime figures and circulated through networks for three years, essentially placing the AFP and FBI in the pocket of some of the world's most untouchable gangsters.
And while they weren't arrested on the day the curtain was pulled back on the AN0M app, the empire Ryan and the others had built was beginning to crumble.
At the resolution of the global operation, and using the thousands of encrypted messages copied to police, the State Crime Command's Drug and Firearms Squad established Strike Force Byarong and began electronic surveillance targeting the group.
For about 10 months, nothing happened and those in the syndicate may have started to believe they had slipped the net.
But in April 2022, police came knocking in dawn raids at properties across the Hunter and Mid North Coast.
Ryan, Giles and other syndicate members, Peter Maddison, Janey Zycki and Paul Bradbury were all arrested and accused of supplying large commercial quantities of drugs and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Details they had discussed using the AN0M app.
The three lower-ranking syndicate members - couriers, debt collectors and dealers - pleaded guilty years ago and were jailed, while Giles and Ryan challenged the legality of the app and admissibility of the messages in a class action-style lawsuit that went all the way to the High Court.
Ultimately, in a landmark ruling in October, 2025, the High Court ruled data captured through the AN0M platform was admissible despite the absence of conventional surveillance warrants.
That ruling effectively sank the hopes of many AN0M accused, including Ryan and Giles.
The pair pleaded guilty in March, and after years spent on bail, were taken back behind bars.
Giles is from a good family and has none of the criminogenic risks you see with someone who becomes involved in organised crime, NSW District Court heard on Friday.
He studied a Bachelor of Construction Management at the University of Newcastle before dropping out and starting an electrical apprenticeship.
He did not have a drug or alcohol dependency, no major mental health issues, had a stable home life, pro-social relationships, stable employment, financial security and no history of trauma.
He told a psychologist that he got involved by doing a friend a favour and collecting large amounts of money and did not have any involvement in directly supplying the drugs.
Judge Gina O'Rourke said Giles characterised his role as a form of "wilful ignorance" and rationalised that he was in an intermediary role and was sufficiently removed from the actual supply of drugs.
"I find that the psychologist's assessment is basically saying the offending from this man in the life that he has led, his intelligence and his family support is inexplicable," Judge O'Rourke said.
As well as sending and collecting cash for drugs, Giles would also pay wages and other expenses for syndicate members and, on occasion, wire money to the head of the syndicate in Thailand.
Giles did not receive a share of the profits and was paid small amounts for his role, usually between $750 and $1500 per transaction.
His lawyers had submitted Giles was not a decision maker, had no role in directing the drug supply and anything he did was done at the direction of Ryan and Ngakuru.
Judge O'Rourke said that Giles had no prior criminal convictions, was genuinely remorseful and had shown insight
But she said the supply of drugs by organised crime was a "scourge" on the community.
"The harm caused cannot be understated, seeping into all of the facets of society," she said.
Judge O'Rourke jailed Giles for a maximum of six years, with a non-parole period of three years and three months.
With time served after his arrest and then since he pleaded guilty, Giles will be eligible for parole in February, 2029.
Ryan will be sentenced in August.
Ngakuru was arrested in Bangkok in 2022, deported to the US and handed over to the FBI after he was accused of distributing the AN0M devices in Australia, New Zealand and Thailand.
He is serving a five-year sentence in the US and will be deported to New Zealand to face more charges at the end of his sentence, according to media reports.
