Joseph Cox

So I'm following that, and to me that shows, damn, this guy is so bold, and he's flexing to the authorities. Like, you just ran the biggest sting operation ever, and I'm out here having a really good meal and pulling it basically on Yelp or Google reviews or whatever. Yeah. That audacity...

So I'm following that, and to me that shows, damn, this guy is so bold, and he's flexing to the authorities. Like, you just ran the biggest sting operation ever, and I'm out here having a really good meal and pulling it basically on Yelp or Google reviews or whatever. Yeah. That audacity...

So I'm following that, and to me that shows, damn, this guy is so bold, and he's flexing to the authorities. Like, you just ran the biggest sting operation ever, and I'm out here having a really good meal and pulling it basically on Yelp or Google reviews or whatever. Yeah. That audacity...

does come to a halt when, very surprisingly, Turkish authorities launch a large series of coordinated raids against organized criminals inside the country. That sweeps up Hakan. It also gets Microsoft and a ton of other people connected to their network.

does come to a halt when, very surprisingly, Turkish authorities launch a large series of coordinated raids against organized criminals inside the country. That sweeps up Hakan. It also gets Microsoft and a ton of other people connected to their network.

does come to a halt when, very surprisingly, Turkish authorities launch a large series of coordinated raids against organized criminals inside the country. That sweeps up Hakan. It also gets Microsoft and a ton of other people connected to their network.

Microsoft looks completely dumbfounded and surprised in that footage. And all we know now is that they're probably sat in a cell somewhere in Istanbul or otherwise in Turkey, but their fate remains unclear. And one... associate of Hakan's I spoke to immediately after that. He said that, of course, it's a speed bump, but I don't think it's the end of this story.

Microsoft looks completely dumbfounded and surprised in that footage. And all we know now is that they're probably sat in a cell somewhere in Istanbul or otherwise in Turkey, but their fate remains unclear. And one... associate of Hakan's I spoke to immediately after that. He said that, of course, it's a speed bump, but I don't think it's the end of this story.

Microsoft looks completely dumbfounded and surprised in that footage. And all we know now is that they're probably sat in a cell somewhere in Istanbul or otherwise in Turkey, but their fate remains unclear. And one... associate of Hakan's I spoke to immediately after that. He said that, of course, it's a speed bump, but I don't think it's the end of this story.

This is one of the most successful criminals ever, and especially successful at getting away from the cops whenever it feels like they finally have him in their grasp.

This is one of the most successful criminals ever, and especially successful at getting away from the cops whenever it feels like they finally have him in their grasp.

This is one of the most successful criminals ever, and especially successful at getting away from the cops whenever it feels like they finally have him in their grasp.

They haven't stopped. They haven't stopped. And of course, it would be a bit unfair to lump the entire drug trade on one operation, but even when the largest sting operation ever can't really put a sizeable dent in the drug trade, like, maybe there should be a different approach.

They haven't stopped. They haven't stopped. And of course, it would be a bit unfair to lump the entire drug trade on one operation, but even when the largest sting operation ever can't really put a sizeable dent in the drug trade, like, maybe there should be a different approach.

They haven't stopped. They haven't stopped. And of course, it would be a bit unfair to lump the entire drug trade on one operation, but even when the largest sting operation ever can't really put a sizeable dent in the drug trade, like, maybe there should be a different approach.

And even some of the Swedish officials I spoke to, they brought this up, like, we're seizing these shipments of cocaine, we're arresting these people, more criminals take their place and then more cocaine comes. Like, maybe this is the wrong approach, right? So you have that. What you also have is that I think the FBI was really successful in sowing that mistrust in the encrypted phone industry.

And even some of the Swedish officials I spoke to, they brought this up, like, we're seizing these shipments of cocaine, we're arresting these people, more criminals take their place and then more cocaine comes. Like, maybe this is the wrong approach, right? So you have that. What you also have is that I think the FBI was really successful in sowing that mistrust in the encrypted phone industry.

And even some of the Swedish officials I spoke to, they brought this up, like, we're seizing these shipments of cocaine, we're arresting these people, more criminals take their place and then more cocaine comes. Like, maybe this is the wrong approach, right? So you have that. What you also have is that I think the FBI was really successful in sowing that mistrust in the encrypted phone industry.

And drug traffickers I've spoken to and people who sell these phones since the operation, they say it's basically impossible to build a customer base at this point because everybody suspects, well, what if the FBI is behind that phone as well?

And drug traffickers I've spoken to and people who sell these phones since the operation, they say it's basically impossible to build a customer base at this point because everybody suspects, well, what if the FBI is behind that phone as well?