The ANoM app was supposed to be the impenetrable means of communication of the underworld, a secure digital space to plot crimes ranging from drug trafficking to murder, but for almost 3 years, a coded app used by criminals was covertly monitored by the FBI and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) - leading to hundreds of arrests and tens of millions of dollars in property seizures.
In a statement, AFP said that she and the FBI had read the clandestine communications of criminals since 2018 in the ANoM app - a black market product accessible only on mobile phones specially prepared for her. According to AFP, intelligence gathered from decrypted messages led to the arrest of 224 suspects on more than 500 charges and the seizure of 3.7 tonnes of drugs and nearly $ 35 million in cash over the past three years in Australia.
A number of the accused are said to be linked to the Italian mafia based in Australia, illegal motor gangs, the Asian crime syndicate and the Albanian organized crime, AFP added.
"Operation Ironside", as the investigation was called, began three years ago as a collaboration between several global law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, AFP, New Zealand police and Europol. At a press conference, AFP commissioner Reece Kershae said the numerous criminal plots were also uncovered thanks to access to the app. ANoM could only be found on phones purchased through the black market, which had been deprived of the ability to make calls or send emails, according to AFP. Phones could only send messages to another device that had the app, and criminals had to know another criminal to get a device.
"The devices circulated organically and grew in popularity among criminals, who were confident of the application's legitimacy because high-profile organized crime figures guaranteed its integrity," the AFP statement said.
The FBI had access to the app and its communications, which the organization then used to gather information about criminal operations. Kershaë said the criminals did not use codes or nicknames in ANoM, arguing with the mistaken belief that their communication was secure.
"Basically, we have been close to organized crime in a way we have never seen," Kershae said.
AFP said more arrests are expected, even beyond Australia. Kershaë added that there were other, larger encrypted communication applications, which police were working to gain access to.
Source: CNN
