A defence lawyer has issued dire advice over a concerning text sent out to 50,000 people warning that they might have links to organised crime.
Jahan Kalantar, from Sydney-based Executive Law Group, warned his followers on TikTok to check if they had received a text from NSW Police on Thursday.
‘The NSW Police Force: Strike Force Wessex has identified this number engaging with an organised crime drug supply ‘dial-a-dealer’ phone. If this continues you may be subject to further investigation. Cease all contact now,’ the message reads.
The text is linked to a strike force launched which is attempting to break down the city’s ‘dial-a-dealer’ drug supply system.
Sydney-based defence lawyer Jahan Kalantar warned his followers on TikTok that a dubious message sent out to 50,000 people was legitimate
For those who receive the text, it means that their phone number had been found in the contact list of an alleged drug dealer.
Mr Kalantar recommended that anyone who has been contacted by NSW Police in this way to delete the suspect contact immediately.
‘If you received this message … it is highly likely that your phone is in some way shape or form, compromised,’ he said.
‘I think you would be very, very wise to delete those people from your phone that may be part of this.’
NSW Police announced on Thursday that the strike force was a success and that 26 alleged drug running services have been shut down already.
Mr Kalantar said that the subsequent texts sent out were simply a warning for those who ‘may have been involved in a serious syndicate’ to stop what they were doing.
‘It may be nefarious, it may be not nefarious, but it means that somehow your phone has had some sort of relationship with a phone that has had something to do with the supplied naughty stuff,’ he told news.com.au
‘Maybe you’re a pizza delivery guy or an Uber driver who gave someone a lift once using this number. Maybe you are somebody who had nothing to do with this at all, and your number somehow got into their system, because you know, there was a mistake in the text, it could be anything.’
Simply receiving the text however does not mean that the recipient is under investigation.
Mr Kalantar warned anyone who received the text to delete suspect contacts from their phone immediately
The lawyer added that the unprecedented operation was a ‘brilliant swoop’ meant to scare anyone who though their secrets were safe.
Strike Force Wessex also recently seized an additional eight phones belonging to alleged known criminal syndicate members.
Police will allege in court that some of the phones had been in operation for up to 10 years prior to their confiscation.
Detective Superintendent Grant Taylor said the operation was unprecedented and the first time NSW Police had ever dismantled crime syndicates in this way.
‘Exploiting new technological capabilities, and using our relationship with various Australian telecommunication companies, we’ve been able to shut down these phones that were running up to millions of dollars’ worth of drugs per week – anything from cannabis to cocaine to ice,’ Det Supt Taylor said.
‘Now we’ve disrupted the dealers’ direct line to their customers, we can turn our attention to those at the top – the criminal syndicate controlling these phones and we’ll be coming after them next.’
