An international law enforcement operation has dismantled an encrypted communication platform, known as Ghost, notorious for enabling large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering, Europol said on Wednesday.
The investigation led to the arrest of 51 suspects from multiple countries, with more arrests expected.
The platform had gained popularity among criminal organisations for its advanced security features and its dismantling marks a significant blow to global organised crime networks.
“This was truly a global game of cat and mouse, and today, the game is up,” Europol’s Deputy Executive Director Jean-Philippe Lecouffe told reporters.
The operation prevented several threats to life, dismantled a drug lab in Australia, and led to the global seizure of weapons, drugs, and over 1 million euro ($1.11 million) in cash, Europol said.
“Today we have made it clear that no matter how hidden criminal networks think they are, they can’t evade our collective effort,” Europol’s Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said, calling the Ghost platform “a lifeline for serious organised crime”.
The operation was conducted with the help of authorities from Australia, Canada, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States, as part of a broader commitment to combat global organized crime.
As the investigation continues, further disruption of illegal activities is anticipated.
As servers were found in France and Iceland, the company owners were located in Australia, and financial assets were located in the United States, a global operation against the phone service started.
The takedown involved a series of coordinated raids and technical interventions. Over the course of the investigation, 51 suspects have been arrested: 38 in Australia, 11 in Ireland, one in Canada and one in Italy belonging to the Italian Sacra Corona Unita mafia group.
Over the course of the investigation, Europol deployed experts to Iceland, Ireland and Australia. Due to the complexity of this data-driven investigation, a number of teams at Europol were involved with specialised technical skills, including cyber-related.
