How the FBI and Australian police gained a front seat view of underworld workings in 90 countries

Police in Australia and the US struck a blow to organised crime, resulting in hundreds of arrests. Now, an FBI affidavit reveals how authorities were able to pull it off

It was mid-2018 when a convicted narcotics importer met with FBI agents from San Diego and made them a tantalising offer: in exchange for a possible reduction in the importer's sentence on other charges, would the bureau like a backdoor into the encrypted communications of a vast network of international organised crime groups?

The importer had invested a substantial amount" of money in developing an encrypted device which could be used by criminals around the world to avoid the detection of police.