Persons are detained by Australian Federal Police after its Operation Ironside against organised crime in this undated handout photo released June 8, 2021. Australian Federal Police/Handout via REUTERS
JAKARTA — It took $120,000 plus expenses, and the opportunity for a reduced prison sentence, for the smartphone developer to collaborate with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2018 and kick-start Operation Trojan Shield, according to a court document.
Three years later, the investigation involving 9,000 law enforcement officers from 17 countries saw authorities monitor 27 million messages from 12,000 devices in 100 countries and track the activities of more than 300 organized crime groups, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, Europol, said in a statement.
To date, there have been more than 800 arrests and the seizure of more than eight tonnes of cocaine, 22 tonnes of cannabis, two tonnes of synthetic drugs, 250 guns, 55 luxury vehicles and over $48 million in cash and cryptocurrencies, Europol said.
More arrests and seizures are expected, it said.
TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
The U.S. court document – an affidavit from an FBI special agent first published by Vice News – says the “confidential human source”, a former drug trafficker, had been creating a new hardened encrypted phone with a bespoke app called ANOM, also styled An0m.
The source came on board after authorities dismantled the Phantom Secure encrypted smartphone network and arrested its CEO in 2018.
