Criminal Groups Flee Telegram and Search for a New Home
After the arrest of Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, criminal and espionage groups worldwide announced they were abandoning the platform, claiming it was no longer secure and that Durov was now cooperating with law enforcement.
An alternative had not yet been chosen, but several messaging apps offered similar capabilities relying on pseudo-anonymity or full anonymity.
The real question was simple: who is actually behind these alternative platforms?
Phantom Secure: The Prequel to a Global Trap
In 2016, a Canadian company called Phantom Secure made headlines. It produced customized mobile phones with advanced encryption, marketed as a solution for secure communication.
Heavy criminal organizations around the world relied on Phantom Secure to run massive money laundering operations, coordinate criminal activity, and manage their enterprises below the radar.
Authorities did not appreciate this.
In 2018, Vincent Ramos, the company’s founder, was arrested and pressured to install a backdoor in the devices. He refused and was sentenced to nine years in prison.
But for law enforcement, that wasn’t enough.
AN0M: The FBI Plants a Trojan Horse in the Criminal Underworld
The FBI seized the opportunity created by Phantom Secure’s shutdown and the vacuum left among criminals.
Working with the Australian Federal Police, they built a new encrypted communication app called AN0M.
The app was marketed as an ultra-secure messaging platform that ran exclusively on modified smartphones stripped of all standard apps, including calling and email functions.
Anyone wishing to communicate with another user had to supply that person with a dedicated AN0M device, which significantly boosted trust between criminals.
The encryption was completely real, intentionally so, because faking it could have exposed the entire operation.
But every message sent through AN0M was secretly forwarded to law enforcement.
Each message was also tagged with precise geolocation data, allowing full intelligence coverage and real-time tracking of users.
A Window Into Global Organized Crime
Through AN0M, authorities infiltrated the criminal underworld at an unprecedented level.
They monitored more than 12,000 devices across 300 crime groups in over 100 countries.
They documented massive international drug trafficking operations, intercontinental weapons deals, plots to commit murder, human trafficking networks, and distribution of CSAM.
Users had no idea they were operating inside one of the most sophisticated honeypots ever deployed.
In 2021, the FBI announced Operation Trojan Shield, resulting in the arrest of more than 800 criminals worldwide, including senior members of organized crime groups in Australia, Europe, and South Africa.
After the operation was exposed, many AN0M users tried to destroy their devices, but the years of accumulated intelligence allowed authorities to continue making arrests and seize enormous quantities of evidence.
One Accidental Operation, Hundreds of Arrests, and Millions in Seizures
The operation ultimately led to the arrest of around 800 criminals across 18 countries.
Authorities seized more than 40 tons of cocaine, cannabis, and meth, 250 weapons, gold bars, hundreds of luxury vehicles, and nearly 48 million dollars in cash.
Even when criminal groups feel pressured to abandon a platform they trusted for years, the choice of replacement can reshape the entire landscape.
You never truly know who is behind the next “secure” app or where it will eventually lead.