The spy app that helped the FBI break international criminal network
More than 200 people were arrested in Australia
More than 800 criminal suspects have been arrested worldwide after being tricked into using an FBI encrypted messaging application, officials say.
The operation, carried out by Australia in conjunction with the FBI (US federal police), encouraged criminals to download the spy app ANOM. This allowed police to monitor conversations about drug trafficking, money laundering and even assassination plots.
Targets included drug gangs and people with Mafia ties.
Drugs, weapons, luxury vehicles and money were also seized in the operation, carried out in more than a dozen countries. This included eight tons of cocaine, 250 guns and more than $48 million (BRL 240 million) in various currencies and cryptocurrencies around the world.
How did the ANOM scam work?
The FBI began operating an encrypted network of devices called ANOM, which were secretly distributed to the criminal underworld through informants.
The idea for the operation came after two other encrypted platforms were taken down by agents, sparking a demand among criminal gangs for secure means of communication.
The devices were initially used by criminals higher up in the gang hierarchy, giving other criminals the confidence to use the platform.
"You needed to know a criminal to get one of these custom phones. The phones didn't ring or send emails. You could only communicate with someone on the same platform," explained the Australian police.
Items seized included motorcycles and cash
Australian fugitive and alleged drug dealer Hakan Ayik was instrumental in the authorities' coup, having inadvertently recommended the app to other criminals after receiving a device from undercover cops, police said.
Dubbed the "Facebook gangster" by Australian media, Ayik is seen in social media photos with large tattoos and a muscular physique. Local media say he has been living in Turkey since escaping from prison, leading a luxurious lifestyle with a Dutch wife.
Police have recommended that Ayik turn himself in to the authorities as soon as possible, as he himself could be in danger for unwittingly assisting the FBI with the operation.
In total, around 12,000 encrypted devices were used by around 300 criminal organizations in over 100 countries.
Weapons seized by police
What did the authorities find?
Police officers were able to read millions of "real-time" messages describing murder plots, mass drug import plans and other schemes.
"They talk all the time about drugs, violence, beatings, innocent people going to be murdered, a number of things," said Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw.
In total, around 9,000 police around the world were involved in the operation.
Calvin Shivers of the FBI's Criminal Investigation Division said the operation allowed law enforcement agencies to "turn the game against criminal organizations" with information collected to prevent murders and various other crimes.
"We were able to see pictures of hundreds of tons of cocaine hidden in fruit shipments," he said.
Among the items seized were posters for the movie The Godfather
Statements from security agencies did not name any of those arrested in the operation.
In Australia, 224 people were arrested, including members of motorcycle gangs, mobsters and organized crime groups.
Police said they also seized three tons of drugs and 45 million Australian dollars (BRL 175 million) in cash and goods, and acted on 20 "death threats", potentially saving the lives of a "significant number of innocents".
Morrison said the coup, which he called Operation Ironside in Australia, was "a watershed in Australian crime-fighting history."
New Zealand police said 35 people in the country had been arrested and about 3.7 million New Zealand dollars ($13.5 million) of property confiscated.
Motorcycles were some of the vehicles seized in the operation
"We believe that the termination of these operations will have a significant impact on New Zealand's organized crime," said National Organized Crime Group superintendent detective director Greg Williams.
Europol's Deputy Executive Director Jean-Philippe Lecouffe described the operation as an "exceptional success".
The agency did not disclose how many arrests were made in each country, but local authorities said there were 70 people arrested in Sweden and 49 in the Netherlands, according to the Reuters news agency.
Linda Staaf, head of Swedish police intelligence, said the operation helped prevent more than 10 planned murders in Sweden.
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