The U.S. Secret Service has dismantled a large-scale telecommunications network that posed a serious threat to the U.S. government, emergency services, and cell towers across the New York tristate area.
In a statement released Tuesday, Sept. 23, officials confirmed the discovery of active SIM farms containing 300 SIM servers and more than 100,000 SIM cards spread across several locations.
According to CBS News, the operation allowed encrypted, anonymous communication at a staggering rate of 30 million text messages per minute. The system also had the capacity to disrupt telecommunications networks and disable cell towers, while “facilitating anonymous, encrypted communication between potential threat actors and criminal enterprises,” the agency reported.
A law enforcement official described the network as “well organized and well funded,” noting that it had the ability to send text messages to the entire country within 12 minutes, per CBS News.
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“The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated,” U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement.
The discovery coincides with the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver an address this week. According to the Secret Service, the SIM threats were “concentrated within 35 miles” of the Assembly, which runs from Sept. 22 to Sept. 29.
A law enforcement source told ABC News that the Secret Service uncovered the operation while investigating threats against three individuals, one of whom has “direct access to the president.” The investigation remains ongoing, with no arrests yet, as authorities continue to examine potential intent, motive, and targets.
The inquiry reportedly began earlier this year after senior U.S. officials received threats. Both CBS News and ABC News reported that some officials believe the Chinese government may have ties to the plot.
“Early analysis indicates that this network was used for communication between foreign governments and individuals that are known to federal law enforcement here in the U.S.,” an official told CBS News.
In addition to the SIM farms, investigators seized illegal firearms, computers, phones, and 80 grams of cocaine, according to the outlet.
