Yeah I don't buy this for a second. US agencies are known to violate constitutional rights on a regular basis, usually without any repercussions. Yet in this scenario, where there doesn't even seem to be much innocent bycatch they're Doing It By The Books?

With regards to the US, there was a probably a high risk rich people were involved, and they constitute one of those minorities that America has had some degree of success in protecting the rights of.

That was my first assumption here. I assumed parallel construction and all of the other theories fall flat to occams razor. It's quite likely someone wealthy and connected was involved.

Do they ever violate constitutional rights in cases that involve a huge number of agents and agencies and are front page news all over the world?

This wasn't someone not being read their miranda rights in the back of a police car - it was a huge international operation that got a lot of press and attention.

Exactly. Big operation means senior oversight. Senior oversight means people who care about politics and optics are involved.

Someone at the FBI probably got a verbal briefing from foreign agents about the US users and what they were engaged in and then decided that a dozen mid level drug suppliers wasn't worth yet another political fight over the 4th amendment, international coordination that effectively circumvents it and the legality of drugs themselves.

Remember, federal agents didn't get their shoot first ask questions later reputation from nowhere. Their bosses aren't blind to this. Each one of those fifteen doors you kick in comes with a non-zero risk that you create another Brianna Taylor or Vicky Weaver and in this day and age it might wind up in 1080p on Youtube before you can clamp down. What do you gain by this? Maybe you'll get a drug table photo op but it will be nothing like what CPB or the Coast Guard get when they bust a semi truck or a smuggling boat. You'll get to flaunt the fact that you took part in an international drug bust operation. But the public mostly doesn't care.

From the FBI's perspective the risk reward ratio of skirting the 4A to take part in this operation just just doesn't work out.

They didn't even have to skirt the rules to get the benefit. Even if it wasn't US criminals they still get to turn around and say "look, we made the world a safer place".

What specifically do you not buy? Parallel construction is a thing b/c the usa does it so much.

I think parent poster edited his comment.

If I was an ANOM user in the US, I think I'd be keeping a very low profile at the moment.