Down Under criminals tricked into using FBI-run message app

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Authorities in Australia and New Zealand said Tuesday they've dealt a huge blow to organized crime after hundreds of criminals were tricked into using a messaging app that was being secretly run by the FBI.

Police said criminal gangs thought the encrypted app called ANOM was safe from snooping when, in fact, authorities for months had been monitoring millions of messages about drug smuggling, money laundering and even planned killings.

The app was part of a worldwide sting called operation Trojan Shield, which was led by the FBI and involved the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the European Union police agency Europol and law enforcement agencies in more than a dozen countries. European and U.S. authorities planned their own announcements later Tuesday.

Authorities in Australia said the app was installed on stripped-back mobile phones and its popularity grew organically in criminal circles after it was vouched for by some high-profile underworld figures, described as “criminal influencers."

Australian authorities said they arrested 224 people and seized more than four tons of drugs and $35 million in an ongoing operation that dates back three years. New Zealand police said they had arrested 35 people and seized drugs and assets worth millions of dollars.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters it was a watershed moment that would keep the nation's communities safer.

“Today, the Australian government, as part of a global operation, has struck a heavy blow against organized crime," Morrison said. "Not just in this country, but one that will echo around organized crime around the world.”

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said the sting, called Operation Ironside in Australia, was borne from a...