Police have filed roughly 800 new charges related to drug trafficking, firearms, and conspiracy offenses as part of Operation Ironside, a major law enforcement investigation targeting organized crime networks.
To date, cryptocurrency seizures connected to the probe total approximately A$58 million (US$37.9 million), according to estimates from the Australian Federal Police (AFP). These assets were traced through wallet addresses and associated accounts, highlighting the significant role that crypto plays in criminal activities uncovered by the investigation.
Operation Ironside originated from an FBI-built encrypted messaging platform called AN0M, which was secretly controlled by law enforcement from 2018 until June 2021. The app was installed on modified phones—stripped of cameras, GPS, and browsers—designed specifically for covert communication among criminal groups. These devices were sold through criminal intermediaries, helping the app quickly spread among drug traffickers, weapons dealers, and money launderers.
Rather than breaking the encryption itself, the FBI implemented a hidden system that captured messages before they were encrypted and transmitted. As the master holder of the encryption keys, the FBI automatically duplicated these messages to secure servers shared with the AFP, enabling authorities to monitor criminal networks in real time.
In Australia alone, at least 1,600 devices were operating with AN0M, with around 19.3 million messages intercepted during the first two waves of the operation. This unprecedented intelligence gathering has been instrumental in building cases against organized crime figures.
The investigation recently saw a significant development in South Australia, where police made 55 arrests over a weekend during the latest phase of Operation Ironside. This progress followed a High Court ruling allowing intercepted AN0M messages to be used as evidence in court. The ruling came after two suspects challenged the legality of the intercepts but were unsuccessful, clearing the way for law enforcement to continue leveraging the collected intelligence.
Deputy Commissioner Linda Williams described the ruling as pivotal, stating that it “paved the way [for us] to go to resolution today.”
While the global law enforcement collaboration, including efforts by Europol, continues to combat increasingly sophisticated criminal use of cryptocurrency, challenges remain. Europol has noted that crypto-related crime is becoming more complex and resource-intensive for police worldwide.
In Australia, despite growing government efforts to regulate cryptocurrency more closely, public mistrust persists due to its association with criminal enterprises uncovered in investigations like Operation Ironside.
Operation Ironside is a joint effort between the Australian Federal Police and the FBI and represents one of the most significant law enforcement operations targeting encrypted criminal communications to date. As the investigation continues, authorities remain committed to dismantling organized crime networks and recovering illicit assets funneled through digital channels.
https://decrypt.co/347136/south-australia-55-suspects-high-court-backs-encrypted-app
