The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20210609034451/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300327974/fbiencrypted-app-hailed-as-a-shining-example-of-collaboration-between-world-cops-for-tricking-gangs

FBI-encrypted app hailed as a 'shining example' of collaboration between world cops for tricking gangs

A global sting involving an encrypted communications platform developed by the FBI has sparked raids and arrests around the world, delivering “an unprecedented blow” to crime gangs, law enforcement authorities said on Tuesday.

Operation Trojan Shield involved police swoops in 16 nations. More than 800 suspects were arrested and more than 32 tons of drugs – cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines and methamphetamine were seized along with 250 firearms, 55 luxury cars and more than US$148 million in cash and cryptocurrencies.

Senior members of the Mongrel Mob, Head Hunters and Comancheros gangs were arrested in New Zealand as part of the massive police operation.

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All up, the New Zealand arm of the operation netted 35 people across the North Island, who are facing 900 charges.

New Zealand Police Minister Poto Williams said Operation Trojan Shield highlighted the Government’s commitment to disrupting organised crime and would have a major impact on organised crime syndicates in New Zealand and across the globe.

“This international operation, led by the FBI and co-ordinated with the DEA, AFP, Europol and numerous other law enforcement partners from more than a dozen countries, is testament to the hard work of Police officers and the relationships they have built with their international colleagues,” Williams said.

Calvin Shivers, assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, said there were unprecedented international collaborations with more than 100 countries.

This meant that 100 threats to life were mitigated, he said.

To give an idea of magnitude of penetration of the operation, authorities were able to see photographs of hundreds of tonnes of cocaine that were concealed in shipments of fruit and canned goods, he said.

“Operation Trojan Shield is a shining example of what can be accomplished when international law enforcement partners from around the world work together and develop state-of-the-art investigative tools to detect, disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organisations,” he said at a news conference in The Hague.

Some of the cannabis seized by New Zealand police during the raids.
NZ POLICE/AP
Some of the cannabis seized by New Zealand police during the raids.

Europol deputy director of operations Jean-Philippe Lecouffe said it involved hundreds of law enforcement operations across the globe. About 27 million messages were obtained and viewed over 18 months.

It was, said Australian Federal Police Commander Jennifer Hearst, “a watershed moment in global law enforcement history.”

Dutch National Police Chief Constable Jannine van den Berg said the operation dealt “an unprecedented blow to criminal networks, and this is worldwide.”

The seeds of the operations were sown when law enforcement agencies earlier took down two other encrypted platforms, EncroChat and Sky ECC. That meant crime gangs which traffic drugs and organise underworld hits around the world were in the market for new secure phones.

The FBI had just what they needed. An app called ANOM that was installed on modified mobile phones.

“There was a void that was created by a lack of these encrypted platforms,” said Shivers. “So that created an opportunity for collaboration with our international partners, to not only develop the specific tool but also to develop the process of gathering the intelligence and disseminating the intelligence.”

The app formed the backbone of Trojan Shield, an operation led by the FBI that also involved the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the European Union police agency Europol and law enforcement agencies in more than a dozen countries.

New Zealand Police have seized more than $1 million in cash.
NZ POLICE/AP
New Zealand Police have seized more than $1 million in cash.

The ANOM app was popular and got more popular as criminals told one another it was a safe platform. Over the past 18 months, the FBI provided encrypted devices to more than 300 crime gangs operating in more than 100 countries. That allowed police to look over the shoulders of criminals as they discussed hits, drug shipments and other crimes.

Intelligence gathered and analysed “enabled us to prevent murders. It led to the seizure of drugs that led to the seizure of weapons. And it helped prevent a number of crimes,” Shivers said.

Earlier Tuesday, authorities in Australia and New Zealand said they’d dealt a huge blow to organised crime after hundreds of criminals were tricked into using the messaging app.

Australian authorities said they arrested 224 people and seized more than four tons of drugs and $35 million in an ongoing operation that dates back three years. 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 struck a heavy blow against organised crime,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters. “Not just in this country, but one that will echo around organised crime around the world.”

European police last year delivered a major blow to organised crime after cracking an encrypted communications network, known as EncroChat, used by criminal gangs across the continent.

In March, Belgian police arrested dozens of people after cracking another encrypted chat system, called Sky ECC, and seizing more than 17 tons of cocaine.

The latest operation went even further.

“The success of Operation Trojan Shield is a result of tremendous innovation, dedication and unprecedented international collaboration," Shivers said. "And the results are staggering.”

AP