Alexander Dmitrienko from Finland has admitted his involvement in a global conspiracy to distribute ANOM encrypted communication devices to criminal groups. This marks the last of eight defendants extradited so far who have pleaded guilty in connection with this case. The defendants were part of 17 individuals indicted in San Diego in 2021 as part of Operation Trojan Shield, an international law enforcement effort where the FBI operated an encrypted messaging network.
The ANOM enterprise was responsible for distributing over 12,000 devices across 100 countries, facilitating crimes such as drug trafficking and money laundering. Law enforcement agents intercepted more than 27 million messages through the network, used by over 300 criminal syndicates including organized crime groups and international drug traffickers.
The investigation led to a global crackdown on June 7, 2021, involving more than 10,000 officers making over 500 arrests and conducting searches at over 700 locations worldwide. Of those indicted in San Diego, eight have been extradited so far. Dmitrienko pleaded guilty recently; others including Seyyed Hossein Hosseini and Aurangzeb Ayub from the Netherlands and Shane Ngakuru from New Zealand had entered their pleas earlier.
Prior attempts by defendants to dismiss charges or suppress evidence were denied by the District Court. The investigation resulted in around 1,200 arrests and seizures including large quantities of drugs and firearms along with $58 million in various currencies. Numerous public corruption investigations have also been initiated.
According to plea agreements, defendants promoted ANOM's security features for illegal activities such as money laundering. Specifically, four defendants admitted using ANOM devices for cocaine trafficking. Discussions among them included plans for distributing cocaine internationally.
U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath highlighted the significant impact of international cooperation in tackling organized crime through these guilty pleas. FBI Special Agent Stacey Moy emphasized the innovative strategy behind Operation Trojan Shield which disrupted global criminal organizations effectively.
DEA Special Agent Matthew Allen praised domestic and international partnerships that contributed to this successful operation against transnational criminal networks.
Defendants Elhassen and Zakhimi have already been sentenced while others await sentencing later this year after being extradited from various countries including Australia and Spain. Additional arrests are pending extradition proceedings outside the United States.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua C. Mellor, Mikaela L. Weber, and Peter S. Horn under an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation framework that targets high-level criminal organizations threatening U.S security through coordinated law enforcement efforts.