Global law enforcement takes down encrypted platform used by organized crime groups

Published September 18,2024

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A joint legislation enforcement operation involving 9 international locations has dismantled an encrypted communication platform utilized by international organized crime teams, Europol introduced Wednesday.

The extremely safe platform, Ghost, facilitated a spread of great felony actions, together with large-scale drug trafficking, cash laundering, and violent crimes.

The operation led to the arrest of 51 people, with 38 in Australia, 11 in Ireland, one in Canada, and one in Italy, linked to the Sacra Corona Unita, a strong felony mafia group with 1000’s of members working in southern Puglia area.

“The work carried out is part of our ongoing commitment to tackling organised crime wherever it operates,” stated Catherine De Bolle, Europol’s government director.

Ghost turned the community of selection amongst felony organizations after legislation enforcement shut down bigger encrypted platforms, equivalent to EncroChat and Sky ECC.

Europol’s Deputy Executive Director Jean-Philippe Lecouffe emphasised the worldwide attain of Ghost, regardless of its smaller person base.

“Some very powerful criminal groups, as seen by our Australian, Irish, American, and Canadian colleagues, are using these apps,” Lecouffe stated at a press convention in The Hague.

Ghost’s superior safety features allowed customers to evade detection, authorities stated. Criminals might buy the software with out offering private info, and the platform supplied the choice to self-destruct messages utilizing a selected code.

Europol’s investigation revealed that Middle Eastern and Korean organized crime teams used Ghost to import medication into Australia and orchestrate illicit actions worldwide. The platform’s international person base exchanged roughly 1,000 messages every day.

As a part of the operation, legislation enforcement prevented a number of life-threatening incidents, dismantled a drug lab in Australia, and seized weapons, medication, and over €1 million ($1.1 million) in money.

An Operational Taskforce, established at Europol in March 2022, coordinated the investigation, with participation from legislation enforcement businesses in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States.