Calay News
The European police cooperation organization Europol announced on Tuesday that the dismantling of EncroChat in 2020, an encrypted communications network used by organized crime, led to the arrest of more than 6,500 people worldwide. In collaboration with judicial and police authorities in France and the Netherlands, Europol infiltrated and dismantled EncroChat, resulting in a series of successful operations.
Thanks to these operations, 6,558 individuals were arrested, including 197 “high-value targets.” In addition, 100 tons of cocaine, 160 tons of cannabis, 923 firearms, and 271 properties were seized. Europol also reported that nearly 900 million euros ($985 million) in criminal assets were frozen or seized, and sentences imposed totaled 7,134 years in prison.
The dismantling of EncroChat had a significant impact on organized crime groups in Europe and beyond, as Europol noted in its statement. The infiltration of this encrypted communications system, which promised total discretion and untraceability, led to the interception of 115 million “criminal conversations” between approximately 60,000 users.
Subsequent investigations based on the wealth of information obtained on organized crime helped prevent violent attacks, assassination attempts, corruption, and large-scale drug trafficking. EncroChat users were mainly concentrated in countries related to illegal drug trafficking and money laundering centers, although the Europol statement does not specify which countries are involved.
The French gendarmerie reported that in the UK it managed to stop “more than 200 murder plots,” and investigations even led to the capture of “one of the world’s most wanted criminals,” a Danish national arrested in Dubai in 2020 for 17 murders. These results demonstrate the significant impact that the dismantling of EncroChat had on the fight against organized crime and the improvement of security in multiple countries.
