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US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in coordination with Australian Federal Police (AFP), ran a string operation by secretly operating an encrypted messaging app called Anom used by organized crime, leading to the arrest of around 800 suspects, a press release by Europol stated. The operation was revealed this week in a series of news conferences by law enforcement authorities in the US, Australia, Europe, and New Zealand. This “is one of the largest and most sophisticated law enforcement operations to date in the fight against encrypted criminal activities,” Europol stated.
Origins of the operation
The seeds for this operation, known as Operation Ironside/Greenlight/Trojan Shield, were planted in 2018 when the FBI cracked down on Phantom Secure, a company that provided encrypted messaging devices to organized criminals. These devices are secure smartphones that are configured to run only an encrypted messaging app and nothing else.
Thirteen Arrested for Alleged Drug Trafficking in Hungary as Part of International Operation
Thirteen people have been apprehended for alleged drug trafficking in Hungary by investigators of the National Investigation Bureau’s Rapid Response Unit (KR NNI) as part of an international operation which used an encrypted device company called Anom, developed and managed by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Europol and FBI reported that 800 criminals had been arrested in the biggest ever law enforcement operation against encrypted communication in 16 countries.
KR NNI said in a statement on Tuesday that in Hungary several tens of kilogrammes of drugs had been seized at 25 locations, in addition to vehicles, cash totalling more than 200 million forints (EUR 570,000) and cryptocurrencies.
Over 800 individuals involved in organized crime gangs were arrested as part of a global sting operation in which the criminals were sold encrypted phones so law enforcement could monitor them, officials first revealed Tuesday.
More than eight tons of cocaine, 30 tons of drugs, and millions of dollars in cash were confiscated during the global raids after the FBI assisted with placing 12,000 devices into 300 criminal networks in more than 100 countries, according to a Department of Justice press release.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as police from Australia and Europe, caught suspects in Australia, Asia, Europe, South America and the Middle East who were working in the narcotics trade.
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VIENNA Austria made 81 of the more than 800 arrests that were part of a global sting against organized crime, the Austrian government said on Wednesday.
The operation by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Australian and European police ensnared suspects in Australia, Asia, Europe, South America and the Middle East involved in the narcotics trade, officials said on Tuesday.
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Those arrested in Austrian provinces ranging from Tyrol in the Alpine west to Vienna belonged to various groups and are suspected of offenses ranging from drug trafficking to murder.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) exploited a weak password to gain access to the Bitcoin wallet belonging to Darkside, a notorious hacker group behind Colonial Pipeline’s ransomware attack in April. A report unveiled this news on June 8, citing crypto experts who believe the FBI’s ability to breach the wallet does not depict […]