FBI Created Encrypted App That Lured, Trapped Global Criminals
- Law enforcement intercepted more than 27 million messages
- Multinational effort led to about 800 arrests, officials say
Photographer: Matt Anderson Photography/Getty Images
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A global sting operation by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies duped criminals into using an encrypted app created by investigators, intercepting more than 27 million messages and exposing plots to smuggle drugs, sell illegal weapons and launder money.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation created its own encrypted device company called ANOM that transnational criminal groups unknowingly used, leading to an unprecedented, coordinated global takedown that resulted in about 800 arrests and the seizure of 22 tons of marijuana, two tons of methamphetamine and more than $48 million in currencies, officials from the U.S. and other countries announced Tuesday.