Peter Woolfe charged over alleged drug supply following AN0M 'sting of the century'

Arguably the most significant operation in Australian policing history came to light in June, when it was revealed investigators had been secretly monitoring messages sent through encrypted "AN0M" phones for about three years.

Codenamed Operation Ironside, the extraordinary surveillance effort resulted in hundreds of people being arrested and charged across the country.

Kingston man Micheal Clark, who was at some stage the national president of the Nomads bikie gang, was among those taken into custody in June.

Mr Clark, who remains behind bars, is charged with drug and gun supply offences.

He is accused of using an AN0M device with the username "el solo lobo", which means "the lone wolf" in Spanish.

It can now be revealed that police allege another Canberra man, father of two Peter Woolfe, used the same phone for nefarious purposes.

Mr Woolfe, 37, was arrested on Wednesday and extradited from the ACT to NSW to face charges of supplying a prohibited drug, participating in a criminal group, and taking part in the supply of a prohibited drug.

He appeared in Queanbeyan Local Court on Thursday morning and, through solicitor Peter Woodhouse, obtained bail after pleading not guilty to all charges.

In a document provided to magistrate Michael O'Brien, NSW Police allege the "el solo lobo" device was activated in December 2020.

When it was first used to communicate with a user called "Big Bat" the following month, its GPS location placed it at the Kambah home of Mr Woolfe's parents.

Police claim the device was also used at Mr Woolfe's address in Lyneham to arrange a drug run to Sydney in January.

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His personal phone, according to investigators, mirrored the cell tower locations pinged by the encrypted device as the latter went to Sydney and back.

The device is said to have changed hands to Mr Clark in May, when it was allegedly used to negotiate the supply of $54,000 worth of cocaine.

A week after this, police claim the AN0M phone was being used again by Mr Woolfe in Lyneham to oversee a drug run arranged by the bikie boss.

Police simultaneously raided the homes of Mr Woolfe and Mr Clark in June, allegedly finding the device at the latter's place.

Officers claim to have discovered the box it had come in at the home of Mr Woolfe, whose fingerprints were found on the container.

On Thursday, a police prosecutor told Queanbeyan Local Court the charges against Mr Woolfe involved "a very serious" amount of cocaine.

He said he was concerned the man might continue to engage in supplying the substance if granted bail, which would be of great concern to the community.

"Cocaine is a drug ... that does kill people," he said.

The sergeant added that Mr Woolfe would, if convicted, likely face a custodial sentence that would "outlive" any time spent behind bars on remand.

Mr Woodhouse disagreed with him on this issue, saying delays associated with the COVID-19 pandemic meant a trial before 2023 was unlikely.

He told the court Mr Woolfe had been on notice since the June searches that "these proceedings were likely to come out of the woodwork".

If his client was going to flee, interfere with witnesses or commit more offences, Mr Woodhouse argued, these things would surely have happened by now.

He also disagreed with the prosecutor's characterisation of the case against Mr Woolfe as strong, saying it was in fact "wholly circumstantial".

Mr Woodhouse said the allegations "relied on the assumption that Mr Woolfe was the person using the encrypted device from the address in Lyneham".

He told the court the prosecution would have a hard time proving it was not someone else.

Mr O'Brien ultimately granted bail with a number of strict conditions.

These included requirements that Mr Woolfe live at his parents' address in Kambah, observe a curfew, use only one phone, and not contact Mr Clark.

Mr O'Brien said "an acceptable person" must also agree to forfeit $10,000 in cash in the event that Mr Woolfe failed to appear in court as required in the future.

Mr Woolfe's case is next before Parramatta Local Court on December 23.

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