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So... the encryption serves its purpose but was used by the wrong people.

And not being able to identify a single legitimate user? That might just be because the anonymity is actually pretty good, not that everyone using it is a criminal.

Though they are rightly chasing crimes and criminals, the fact that the devices are secure is surely neither here not there. The FBI couldn't get into an iPhone, so is that the same?

I'm more worried that in the age of secure communications, law enforcement are baffled about how to stop illegal drug shipments, distribution and "following the money" and can only suggest "let's not let anyone have secure devices" as a solution.

How about this? Assume the problem will only get worse. Assume every company will release secure phones. Assume every criminal will get a secure phone out of your control no matter what measures you try to enforce. The same way that criminals could just build an encrypted walkie-talkie and shut you out of that conversation too. Now, extrapolating that to the global population, how are you going to stop people growing, shipping and selling illegal drugs?

Because that's the answer you need. Not "well, obviously, nobody can be secure". I'd suggest things like more undercover operations (so you end up with one of their phones "legitimately"), better controls on imports and customs (seems to me that an awful lot slips through), better monitoring of borders (again, a lot slips through), and monitoring finances (isn't cash basically going to die soon?). But, of course, that involves law enforcement personnel being paid and doing their jobs. It's so much easier to just say "Apple, sort it out", or similar.

By no means am I a fan of even casual, "soft" drug use in any way, shape or form. (It's illegal, so don't do it, or instead campaign for it to be legal) But I damn well would rather they got off their backsides and either legalised certain things (thereby taking them off the market and police hands, and generating tax) which would then leave you focused and funded to combat the more dangerous stuff by ways and means core to the traditional method of policing. Before smartphones you didn't have this information either, and yet somehow you managed to catch the criminals too.