Massive drug sting: 800 arrested, 2 tons of meth, 8 tons of cocaine, and 22 tons of marijuana seized

(KKTV) - A massive investigation resulted in 800 arrests, the seizures of more than eight tons of cocaine; 22 tons of marijuana; and 2 tons of methamphetamine.

The FBI shared details on the worldwide drug sting Tuesday morning. The sting was called “Operation Trojan Shield.”

“For the first time, the FBI operated its own encrypted device company, called “ANOM,” which was promoted by criminal groups worldwide,” the release from the FBI reads. “These criminals sold more than 12,000 ANOM encrypted devices and services to more than 300 criminal syndicates operating in more than 100 countries, including Italian organized crime, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, and various international drug trafficking organizations, according to court records.”

The alleged criminals were under the assumption their “ANOM” devices were encrypted and couldn’t be viewed by law enforcement. In less than 48 hours, authorities searched more than 700 locations deploying 9,000 law enforcement officers using the “ANOM” devices to their advantage.

“This was an unprecedented operation in terms of its massive scale, innovative strategy and technological and investigative achievement,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “Hardened encrypted devices usually provide an impenetrable shield against law enforcement surveillance and detection. The supreme irony here is that the very devices that these criminals were using to hide from law enforcement were actually beacons for law enforcement. We aim to shatter any confidence in the hardened encrypted device industry with our indictment and announcement that this platform was run by the FBI.”

This week’s sting was the result of more than five years of complex investigative work.

Click here to read more from the FBI.

Copyright 2021 KKTV. All rights reserved.