A Bellambi man has confessed to supplying 223g of meth and almost 10kg of cannabis after he was busted during an investigation of an encrypted app used by criminal networks.
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Joshua Dendulk appeared before Wollongong Local Court via video link on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying an indictable quantity of a prohibited drug.
Agreed facts stated Dendulk came under police notice during an Australian Federal Police investigation into the encrypted messaging platform AN0M.
The FBI developed the app in 2018 that was used by organised criminal gangs, allowing federal agents to monitor activity like drug supply in real time.
Dendulk's AN0M profile was under the username '1111' and on April 12, 2021, he received a picture from a user named 'Big Bat' showing a bag of cannabis with a text saying, "these r ready if u r".
Dendulk replied, "I'll be coming Sunday or Monday, my driver got community service on weekend and I got court tomorrow". Investigators tracked the message sent from a location consistent with Dendulk's Illawarra address.
A few weeks later, Big Bat asked Dendulk what drugs he needed, to which Dendulk replied "whatever you can do".
Big Bat responded the next day and said "it's OK my bro I'll get you 10 pound and 10 okers (slang for ounces) ... 55k will be OK I'll pay the rest".
The pair locked in a time and Dendulk picked up 223 grams of meth and four kilograms of cannabis at Bernie Way, Green Valley from another AN0M user named 'Rusty' who was waiting for him in a white van.
Another delivery was organised on May 21, 2021 when Dendulk messaged Big Bat saying he missed him and he was "ready to go another 10 green my brother".
Dendulk also complained that his bail curfew conditions made it hard to pick up the drugs, but Big Bat reassured his "beautiful brother" they would work out a time.
Dendulk responded "Eetswa my brother got 30000 here now by ten thinking 40000 my brother" when discussing their next pick up.
On May 31, 2021, police were carrying out surveillance when they spotted a white Commodore picking up a white package from a white van.
Officers followed the Commodore which stopped at a service station. They arrested a man, who disclosed there was cannabis in the car for "Josh" but refused to provide a last name.
Police seized and tested 10 resealable plastic bags full of green leaf, later tested and confirmed to be 4.44 kilograms of cannabis leaf.
Meantime Dendulk messaged Big Bat and said "brother my bloke got pinched on the way home".
Dendulk, who was arrested on December 13, 2021, will face Wollongong District Court in March where he will receive his date for sentence.
Read more Illawarra court and crime stories here.
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Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
