Ghost revealed: Secret app of the underworld infiltrated by AFP

The underworld’s “unhackable” communication platform has been infiltrated by AFP tech experts, sending alleged criminals who used it to plot violence and trafficking drugs into a spin.

The accused mastermind of an “impenetrable” communication platform allegedly used by underworld heavies to traffic drugs, plan kidnappings and plot murders has been arrested by Australian Federal Police, six months after its “tech nerds” infiltrated the network.

Jay Je Yoon Jung, 32, who lives at home with his parents in Western Sydney, is accused of building the encryption communication platform “Ghost” that has been operating for nine years and used by outlaw motorcycle gangs including the Hells Angels, Mongols, Comancheros and Finks as well as Middle Eastern organised crime gangs, Italian organised crime syndicates and Korean organised crime gangs.

Since March, when AFP technical experts found a way to infiltrate the platform, they have allegedly uncovered at least 50 threats to kill or harm and uncovered other violent crimes, money laundering and drug trafficking.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Kristy Schofield said most of the threats to kill took place in Sydney.

The Australian Federal Police infiltrated the secret platform. Picture: Richard Dobson

Now alleged criminals across the country are scrambling as more than 700 AFP officers conduct raids all week, so far arresting a dozen people in Sydney, and more in Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide.

Simultaneous raids are being carried out in Ireland and Canada.

Among those arrested and charged in the raids are Sydney men Sukru Yildiz, Cameron Watson, Sameer Mohammad Sadiq, Lieu Mandat, Hussein Lalee, Ahmad Daryush Malikzada and Hadees Hayunchiyan.

The cases against Watson, Sadiq, Mandat and Lalee were mentioned briefly in Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday.

None of the men applied for bail and all were formally remanded in custody on serious criminal charges.

Yildiz sought bail, with his barrister, Jehane Ghabrial, saying her client’s parents and sister would agree to lodge a combined surety of $395,000 to secure strict conditional bail.

However, Magistrate Susan McIntyre refused to release Yildiz, saying there was “strong evidence” against Yildiz on a charge of conspiring with others to import a trafficable amount of cocaine into the country.

The court heard police allege Yildiz is alleged to have used the name handle ‘Donald Trump’ when using the encrypted platform.

Meanwhile, Brandon Lamb, another alleged Ghost user who was arrested at his Oran Park home in June, was granted conditional bail in court on Tuesday.

Police allege Lamb was involved in a criminal syndicate that tried to import 6.4kg of methamphetamine into Australia.

As part of his bail, Lamb is required to report to police three times a week and surrender his passport to authorities.

The decision to dismantle the platform was made globally, after the threats to take human life were intercepted and enough evidence was gathered to act and bring down the platform that had been operating for the “sole purpose” of criminal activity, AFP will allege.

The AFP launched an investigation into a criminal syndicate, in March, 2024 which has resulted in the arrest of three men, aged 23, 29, and 30, residing in western Sydney, allegedly the three men used the communication platform.

More Australian and international arrests are expected over the coming days.

It will be alleged the Australian defendants who use Ghost were tracking illicit drugs, money laundering, ordering killings or threatening serious violence.

In the six months leading up to the raids, 150 AFP officers have been monitoring chatter on Ghost after coming up with a “virus-like” solution to infiltrate the online safe haven for the underworld.

The AFP has monitored 125,000 messages and 120 video calls over six months and claim there are almost 400 users in Australia.

Users are brazen, posting photos of drugs, making serious threats to kill and kidnap, giving signs their online safehaven could not be infiltrated.

The blitz by Operation Kraken officers is the biggest shutdown of an encrypted communications network since ANOM.

The NSW-based organised crime syndicate was allegedly involved in the manufacture, importation and supply of methamphetamine, as well as the trafficking of cocaine, in Australia.

The major difference between the platforms is that ANOM was an encrypted service created in 2018 by the AFP and FBI who worked with a covert human source.

Operation Ironside then dismantled ANOM and 60 offenders so far have pleaded guilty or been found guilty of a range of offences and are serving a combined 300 years in jail.

In contrast Ghost was created by an alleged mastermind nine years ago and then infiltrated by the AFP.

Assistant Commissioner Schofield said infiltrating Ghost gave investigators a look at organised crime through a “different lens” which was vitally important in dismantling organised crime, disrupting the global trade and intercepting plans for violence on Sydney streets.

The AFP broke into Ghost by modifying the software updates that the administrator regularly pushes out - just like the ones needed for normal phones.

They infected the devices enabling them to access content on devices in Australia, under Operation Kraken.

The AFP has been working with a global task force set up by Europol in 2002 to bring down the platform.

A Sydney-based criminal syndicate allegedly responsible for cocaine and cannabis trafficking has, been dismantled. Picture: Supplied/AFP

It’s being led by the FBI and French Gendarmerie and includes the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Swedish Police Authority, Dutch National Police, Irish Garda Siochana and the Italian Central Directorate for Anti-Drug Service.

Icelandic police have also assisted.

Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said the action this week “made it clear that no matter how hidden criminal networks think they are, they can’t evade our collective efforts”.

“Law enforcement from nine countries, together with Europol, have dismantled a tool which was a lifeline for serious organised crime.

“The operation is what Europol is all about; turning collaboration into concrete results by bringing together the right people, tools and expertise to address every aspect of this complex operation”.

Swedish Police Authority Head of Operations National Operations Department Superintendent Ted Esplund said it was “absolutely essential that law enforcement agencies act in the same way in order to be successful in the fight against organised crime”.

Originally published as Ghost revealed: Secret app of the underworld infiltrated by AFP