Organised crime dealt ‘heavy blow’, says PM, after global police sting cracks open ‘encrypted’ app

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says organised crime has been dealt a heavy blow after a cross-border law enforcement operation yielded mass raids and arrests using intelligence from a compromised encrypted communications app relied on by organised crime figures to avoid police surveillance.

The ambitious operation penetrated An0m, an encrypted service that has emerged as a rival to the Ciphr network also favoured by criminals worldwide, and allowed police to covertly monitor a vast trove of communications about the global drug trade and other illegal activities.

More than 220 people have been arrested on 526 charges across Australia and 3.7 tonnes of drugs, 104 weapons, and $45 million in cash were allegedly seized in the operation involving more than 4000 police officers.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the operation, codenamed Ironside, was a “heavy blow” against organised crime, which has used encrypted communications to hamper authorities since the rise of the technology in recent years.

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