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HAGUE, The Netherlands (AP) – Criminal gangs have uncovered plans to transport drug shipments and carry out killings on a messaging app covertly run by the FBI, law enforcement said Tuesday, unveiling a global sting operation that they said dealt an “unprecedented blow.” of organized crime in countries around the world.
Operation Trojan Shield led to police raids in 16 countries. More than 800 suspects were arrested and more than 32 tons of drugs – including cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines and methamphetamine – were seized, along with 250 firearms, 55 luxury cars and more than $148 million in cash and cryptocurrency.
The seeds for the sting were planted when law enforcement agencies earlier removed two encrypted platforms, EncroChat and Sky ECC, that criminal gangs used to organize drug smuggling and visits in the underworld. With the gangs in the market for new means of communication, the FBI stepped in with a secretly developed application called ANOM that was installed on modified cell phones. Over the past 18 months, the FBI has provided phones through unsuspecting intermediaries to more than 300 gangs operating in more than 100 countries.
The intelligence collected and analyzed “empowered us to prevent murders. It led to drug seizures that led to weapons seizures.” Calvin Chivers, assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigation Division, said at a press conference in The Hague, the Netherlands: “It helped prevent a number of crimes”.
In this undated photo provided by New Zealand police, a bag of marijuana is displayed during a police raid as part of Operation Troy. Authorities in Australia and New Zealand said Tuesday, June 8, 2021, that they dealt a major blow to organized crime after deceiving hundreds of criminals into using a messaging app that was secretly run by the FBI. (New Zealand Police via AP)
The Dutch National Police said the operation – led by the FBI with the participation of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the European Union police agency Europol and law enforcement agencies in several countries – dealt an “unprecedented blow to criminal networks, and this is happening all over the world”. Police Chief Janine van den Berg.
Australian Federal Police Chief Jennifer Hurst described it as “a watershed moment in the history of global law enforcement”.
ANOM has become popular in criminal circles as users have told each other that it is a secure platform. The entire time, the police were scanning criminals’ shoulders as they discussed strikes, drug deliveries, and other crimes.
“There was a void created by the lack of these crypto-platforms,” Chivers said, of the initial move to scrap apps previously used by the gangs. “So this created an opportunity to collaborate with our international partners, not only to develop the specific tool but also to advance the process of intelligence gathering and dissemination.”
Law enforcement agencies from Sweden to New Zealand described the operation as having a significant impact.
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Swedish police have prevented dozens of planned killings and believe they have arrested several “key actors in criminal networks,” according to a statement from Linda Staaf, head of Sweden’s national criminal intelligence unit.
Finnish police said, on Tuesday, that nearly 100 people were arrested and more than 500 kilograms (half a ton) of drugs were seized, along with dozens of guns and cash worth hundreds of thousands of euros (dollars). In Germany, the Frankfurt Public Prosecutor’s Office said that more than 70 people were arrested on Monday, and drugs, money and weapons were also seized.
In Australia, authorities said they had arrested 224 people and seized more than four tons of drugs and $35 million. New Zealand police said they had arrested 35 people and seized drugs and assets worth millions of dollars.
“Today, the Australian government, as part of a global operation, has dealt a major blow against organized crime,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters. “Not just in this country, but a country that would resonate around organized crime around the world.”
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European police last year dealt a major blow to organized crime after hacking into an encrypted communications network, known as EncroChat, used by criminal gangs across the continent.
In March, Belgian police arrested dozens of people after hacking into another encrypted chat system and confiscating more than 17 tons of cocaine.
The last operation went further.
“The success of Operation Trojan Shield is the result of tremendous innovation, dedication, and unprecedented international cooperation,” said Chivers. “And the results are amazing.”
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Perry reports from Wellington, New Zealand. Associated Press writers Kirsten Grischber in Berlin, Gary Tanner in Helsinki, and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.
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