The inside story of the confidential human source behind AN0M, the underworld’s most wanted man

A single fateful decision by the architect behind AN0M led to the arrest of more than a thousand people across the globe. See why he is now the “underworld’s most wanted”.

He has been described as the criminal underworld’s most wanted.

The convicted drug dealer and computer programmer whose single fateful decision to hand over control of his creation – the AN0M app – has led to more than a thousand arrests across the globe.

Known only in court documents as Confidential Human Source S00088667, or CHS for short, the FBI has guarded to extreme lengths any information that would reveal his identity.

But what little is known about CHS paints a story of a phoenix-like rise from the ashes of a former life, and a fateful decision which has planted a permanent price on his head.

EXPLORE THE UNDERWORLD MESSAGES

EDITOR’S NOTE: This interactive may not work on some Android devices and Apple News. If the content does not display, tap here to view the interactive in a web browser. The contents of these messages may offend some readers.

As well as several hundred thousand dollars and a new life, CHS was also granted extraordinary powers and his own staff to facilitate crime in the name of an international game plan.

In a letter released by the SA Supreme Court, FBI Special Agent Nicholas Cheviron implored the AFP to protect the identity of CHS by cloaking documents in Public Interest Immunity, preventing their disclosure to defence counsel.

“The CHS is responsible for more than 1000 arrests worldwide,” he wrote.

“Many of the arrested individuals have shown a propensity of violence towards witnesses in the past and in some cases have acted on those plans, resulting in death or serious bodily harm of those witnesses.

“The CHS, and the CHS’s family, faces real and substantial risks of reprisal from associates of the accused who had contact with the CHS, associates of individuals arrested both in Australia and overseas, and other individuals who remain under investigation.”

FBI acting deputy assistant director of the Intelligence Directorate, Michael E. Stansbury, wrote to the AFP saying that to reveal the identity of CHS would undermine the entire FBI human sources program.

Cash seized in Australia as part of Operation Ironside. Picture: AFP.

CHS was a former employee of Phantom Secure, the company behind an encrypted messaging application used by the criminal underworld, where he combined technical knowledge with a known propensity for drug trafficking.

Using contacts in Australia he spread thousands of the Phantom Secure handsets to a network of buyers and distributors.

Moving forward with the market, CHS was in the later stages of developing AN0M when Phantom Secure was shut down.

The chief executive of Phantom Secure, Vincent Ramos, was given a choice by the FBI during a meeting in Las Vegas: create a backdoor into the app or face the full force of a racketeering indictment alleging he had facilitated widespread drug trafficking and money laundering.

Ramos made his choice – fleeing Las Vegas under the cover of night before being arrested.

The Phantom app was shut down and other members of the organisation were arrested.

But CHS had a bargaining chip – the nearly completed AN0M app. Early test phones had been distributed in Australia and were already being given favourable reviews.

The FBI accepted the offer and whisked CHS offshore.

At the same time, a special AFP agent codenamed CIN325, standing for Covert Identity Number, was himself being briefed on the operation.

A semiautomatic rifle seized as part of Operation Ironside in Australia. Picture: AFP

In April 2018, CIN325 flew out of Australia to an unknown country to meet CHS and his FBI handlers.

From then on, CIN325 was the conduit between CHS and Australian law enforcement. The pair were in near daily communication and met several more times in overseas clandestine meetings that were also attended by the DEA and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The pair worked together on building the app with CIN325 providing guidance to a team of developers working under CHS.

It has since emerged that some of, if not all, of the developers did not realise they were working for the police as they developed AN0M and made it operational.

To get AN0M up and running, CHS was granted exceptional powers via an AFP Major Controlled Operation authorisation.

In the document, which has been seen by The Advertiser, CHS is authorised to negotiate the sale of the AN0M app with known criminals, including providing SIM cards and other hardware for them to distribute.

CHS was specifically authorised to “facilitate a range of criminal conduct including but not limited to activities relating to the importation and trafficking of controlled drugs, and money laundering”.

A group of six UCC and UCO – Under Cover Civilians and Officers respectively – were authorised to be CHS’s bankers and were allowed to handle vast amounts of cash and crypto coming in from the successful business.

In 2020, the authorisation was extended to encompass six more covert officers who were empowered to act as “middlemen” for CHS by helping sell and distribute the app.

Following the shutdown of the AN0M app on June 7, 2021, it is unclear what has become of CHS.

Unlike CIN325, CHS has not been required to file any statements or affidavits and cannot be called as a witness in proceedings.

Originally published as The inside story of the confidential human source behind AN0M, the underworld’s most wanted man