This will go down as absolutely legendary in underworld history
Gangsters will be kicking themselves just as hard as cops will be patting themselves on the back
Around the world, thousands of mobsters, bikers, gangsters, narcos, money launderers, gun runners,
hitmen, corrupt cops, were lured into cutting their deals and arranging their deeds on a
supposedly secret encrypted phone system — which was really being run by the FBI
"Police. search warrant, open the door"
More than a thousand people have so far been arrested worldwide
Massive amounts of drugs, guns money, and criminal assets were seized
And multiple hits were halted as the real secret behind an underworld communications
system was unveiled this week in the United States, across Europe and in Australia and New Zealand
The Mob Reporter here with news of the incredible birth and spectacular
death of AN0M, the next generation in secure communication that was unwittingly pushed into
gangland by criminal influencers who made the new system trusted and trendy in the underworld
as part of an ingenious and technologically innovative honeypot sting
Let me tell you about it
What you see here and throughout this video are raids arrests and seizures flowing from
the three-year international operation. It's a seemingly endless parade from a dozen countries
What this is about is the increasing underworld use of hardened encrypted devices to allow for
secret communications. These are special phones that encrypt messages before sending them to
another secure phone, where they are decoded and read. While those messages are in transit
they can't be intercepted or unscrambled. Gangsters have been using this technology
for a few years now and some companies have tried to profit from the demand by creating
special mobile phone devices. One of the first was called Phantom Secure, a Canadian company. Recently
i told you about another, EncroChat, which was a gangland hit until it was hacked by the French
Then came Sky ECC by Sky Global, another Canadian firm that was taken down in March by the FBI
Along the way, a new competitor was in development. It was called AN0M. One of those working to build a
AN0M was a veteran in underworld secured devices. He previously distributed Phantom Secure and
Sky Global handsets and invested heavily to create one of his own
But when he was facing charges on other matters he made authorities an offer they couldn't refuse
He offered his baby to the FBI to raise as their own. And raised they did. Working with technically
savvy Australian Federal Police investigators, the AN0M platform was re-jigged so a tiny bit
of computer code was embedded in each message to allow investigators to gather, track, decrypt, and
store every message. The project was ready to go in late 2018. They looked like normal smartphones
but AN0M's features were hidden by a calculator app where punching in a numeric code unlocked it
AN0M's marketing pitch was "Designed by criminals for criminals." The FBIs cooperating source then
recruited three of his clients as administrators: a Turk, an Australian, and a Swede. One of them,
the Turkish man who grew up in Australia, was particularly successful, authorities allege
His name is Hakan Ayik. The 42 year old was previously dubbed the Facebook gangster because
of his social media posts highlighting his flashy lifestyle, travel, muscles, and tattoos — despite
having criminal links to the Comanchero Motorcycle Club, Chinese Triads and serious traffickers.
He and a handful of others also became brand ambassadors for AN0M
They were underworld influencers getting others to sign up for the AN0M service
They unwittingly reached out to their underworld contacts, people who had established reputations and
criminal ties, which authorities say included outlaw bikers, Italian Mafia, drug lords and
members of all sorts of transnational crime groups. Everyone who used one unknowingly sent a copy of
every one of their messages, photos, and details of every deal to the police. When EncroChat was
dismantled in 2020, and then Sky Global in March 2021, customers of those services flocked to AN0M
The devices were bought exclusively by those engaging in criminal activity, authorities say
And as investigators monitored the messages, it gave them an eye-popping view
of a subset of the underworld elite. There were about 12,000 AN0M devices in use,
sending 27 million messages through 100 countries in 45 different languages
The top five countries for AN0M use were Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Australia and Serbia
As the operation ran, authorities stepped in and thwarted a number of significant deals and picked
off a few high-value targets — being careful not to say how police knew about the information. Some of
my videos over the past couple of years document operations that I'm now certain were based on the
AN0M information, we just didn't know it at the time. This covert operation wrapped up this week
On June 7 and 8, 2021, agencies around the world delighted in making the big reveal as
waves of arrests and raids began, involving 26 countries. In the United States, the FBI called
it Operation Trojan Shield. Included were at least six corrupt law enforcement officials
who were caught using AN0M to work with narcos and pass sensitive information onto gangsters
Now despite the seriousness of all of this, there is almost always a moment to spare for a laugh
so enjoy this. What did police find among the enormous haul after smashing down a thousand doors?
Movie collectibles for The Godfather and a poster for Breaking Bad
In Australia, where they called it Operation Ironside, the underworld damage was particularly
harsh. Among those arrested is a defense lawyer, allegedly linked to the Comanchero Motorcycle Club
accused of conspiring to obstruct the course of justice. Comanchero MC members and associates are
prominent as targets in the AN0M sweeps, likely because of the influence of Hakan Ayik, who has
long standing ties with members of the club, since he was a boy. An alleged sergeant-at-arms for one
Comanchero chapter was arrested. This man here. Police say he was the boss of a drug importation
and distribution network. Police boasted of a mass disruption of the Comancheros with more than 20
arrests including several high-ranking members Along with associated Middle Eastern crime figures,
other biker club members arrested are with the Rebels MC and Lone Wolf, and some Bandidos
caught with a grow op. The Lone Wolf bikers are accused of importing 700
kilograms of methamphetamine from Korea into Australia hidden inside gear drives
In Europe there were at least 800 arrests and the seizure of 8 tons of cocaine,
22 tons of cannabis, 2 tons of synthetic drugs, 250 firearms, 55 luxury vehicles,
and more than 48 million in various currencies and cryptocurrencies
Europol, the coordinating police agency of the European Union, called their part of the case
OTF Green Light and involved authorities in Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, Britain, Spain, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, and Norway. Germany saw more than 70 arrests mostly for large-scale drug
deals. In the Netherlands, 25 drug production and storage facilities were raided bringing about 50
arrests. In Sweden it was called one of the most extensive strikes ever against organized crime
70 people were arrested there, many among the top tier of drug suppliers
But beyond the impressive numbers and all of these arrests and seizures, I expect we'll see ongoing
ripples from this sting for years to come. There will be the immediate effect, no doubt already well
underway — serious inquiries by criminals who are duped into using the AN0M system. There will be
punishment and revenge. There'll be infighting and mistrust. There will be thousands of in transit and
incomplete deals around the world with the ensuing arguments about who is on the hook and who owes
what to who. This will not be settled quietly or bloodlessly. Police have recommended that Ayik turn
himself in for his own safety and the safety of his family. Just imagine the sick feeling he had
when he realized he had unwittingly been the poster boy for an historic FBI sting.
It may not be fair to lay blame on him, but that's the way gangland works. He knows that
And then there will likely be ever-present uncertainty and suspicion, for each other but
also for each new way someone comes up with to try to fill the void. How can there not be?
As one old crook said to me: "My old man used to raise pigeons, maybe i should pick up the family
hobby." He doesn't look it, believe me, but that idea may make him the smartest man in the business
Thanks for watching