![]() ![]() It was that trust - along with drug shipments and other illegal activities - that law enforcement agencies were hoping to disrupt. They're sold only through word-of-mouth referrals by distributors whose reputations make them trusted within criminals' circles. "Hardened" encryption devices such as the modified phones on the Anom platform commonly sell for up to around $2,000, the FBI says. Recently, criminals who tried to use the Anom encrypted platform were instead informed that law enforcement agencies had been "monitoring messages and attachments." Its CEO, Vincent Ramos, pleaded guilty other company leaders were also indicted. The FBI gained a real-time window into the lucrative world of international organized crime in 2018 after its San Diego office busted Phantom Secure, a company that provided hardened encrypted devices to criminal organizations. Since late 2018, the smuggling rings had come to rely on the Anom devices, which were touted as being able to send secure, encrypted messages in a closed digital environment, along with the promise that their data would be wiped remotely if they fell into the hands of police.īut from early on, the devices' developer was collaborating with the FBI - and as their use spread, the devices surreptitiously sent copies of the criminals' messages to the FBI, the Australian Federal Police and other agencies. This image was included in an FBI affidavit for a search warrant. It's "one of the largest and most sophisticated law enforcement operations to date in the fight against encrypted criminal activities," according to Europol.Ī discussion between alleged drug smugglers was captured by the FBI using an encrypted platform that organized crime rings believed was safe from law enforcement's eyes. The FBI says law enforcement agencies worked together to supply "more than 12,000 devices to hundreds of criminal organizations that operate around the globe." Those are the details and allegations that are now emerging about Operation Trojan Shield, an international effort coordinated by the FBI that has resulted in more than 800 arrests.Īuthorities have also seized more than 8 tons of cocaine, with 22 tons of cannabis and several tons of other drugs, along with "55 luxury vehicles and over $48 million in various worldwide currencies and cryptocurrencies," the European law enforcement agency Europol says. In fact, the agency had sent the Anom devices into the black market in the first place. ![]() There was just one problem for the crime rings: The FBI was being copied on every message - millions of them worldwide. The criminals texted each other about drug deals and money laundering, confident in special encrypted devices using a platform dubbed Anom. Australian Federal Police blurred the suspect's face due to privacy concerns. A man was arrested in an international sting operation targeting drug smugglers. ![]()
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