Europol and Eurojust, together with law enforcement and judicial authorities from around the world, have dismantled an encrypted communication platform. As law enforcement officials say, “the platform, known as Ghost, was used as a tool to carry out a wide range of criminal activities, including large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering, extreme violence and other forms of serious and organised crime.” There are 51 arrests, one in Italy.
Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said: “Today we made it clear that, no matter how hidden they think they are, criminal networks cannot escape our collective effort. Law enforcement agencies from 9 countries, together with Europol, have dismantled a safety net for serious organised crime. This operation is what Europol is all about: turning collaboration into tangible results by bringing together the right people, tools and expertise to tackle every aspect of this complex operation. The work done is part of our ongoing commitment to fighting organised crime wherever it operates. I want to extend my gratitude to all our global partners who played a vital role in making this operation a success.”
How Ghost Worked
According to law enforcement, Ghost “had gained popularity among criminal organizations due to its advanced security features. Users could purchase the tool without having to disclose any personal information. The solution used three encryption standards and offered the option to send a message followed by a specific code, which would result in the self-destruction of all messages on the target phone.”
“This allowed criminal networks to communicate securely, avoid detection, counter forensic measures, and coordinate their illicit operations across borders. Worldwide, several thousand people were using the toolwhich had its own infrastructure and applications with a network of resellers located in various countries. On a global scale, approximately a thousand messages are exchanged every day via Ghost”, the investigators say.
Fifty-one arrests, one in Italy
It was a multinational effort involving nine countries that led Europol and Eurojust, along with law enforcement and judicial authorities from around the world, to take down the encrypted communications platform known as ‘Ghost’. With servers found in France and Iceland, the company’s owners in Australia, and its financial assets in the United States, a global operation was launched against the phone service. The takedown involved a series of coordinated raids and technical interventions. During the investigation, 51 suspects were arrested: 38 in Australia, 11 in Ireland, one in Canada and one in Italy believed to be a member of the Sacra Corona Unita.
Further arrests are expected as the investigation progresses. A drug lab has been dismantled in Australia, along with weapons, drugs and over €1 million in cash seized globally so far. To facilitate investigations into the illicit activities facilitated by this communication platform, an Operational Taskforce (OTF) was established at Europol in March 2022, involving law enforcement authorities from Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States.
This taskforce, investigators say, was instrumental in mapping the global technical infrastructure and was able to attack it by identifying key suppliers and users of the platform, monitoring its criminal use and carrying out a coordinated effort to dismantle it, all under the legal supervision of the countries of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT).
Based on law enforcement cooperation, a JIT was established between French and US authorities in January 2024 with the support of Eurojust and Europol. This complex global operation was possible thanks to the active cooperation between the different countries involved and Europol, which were engaged in the various components of the investigative activities, including interventions against high-risk criminal organizations and high-value targets, cyber investigations, analysis of cryptocurrency transactions, frequent intelligence exchanges using Europol’s secure channels and dozens of operational meetings organized in different countries.
During the investigation, Europol deployed experts to Iceland, Ireland and Australia. Due to the complexity of this data-driven investigation, several Europol teams were involved with specialized technical expertise, including IT. A Joint Operations Centre was also established at Europol headquarters during the action days, where representatives of OTF members and Europol officials provided support and facilitated the coordination of simultaneous operational activities taking place around the world.
Landi (Europol): “Man arrested in Italy a leading figure in Sacra Corona Unita”
During the presentation of the Europol-Eurojust operation, the arrest of a person in our country also emerged. “The man arrested in Italy is a leading figure of the Sacra Corona Unita” confirmed Lieutenant Colonel Leonardo Landi, Italian anti-drug liaison officer at Europol, explaining that this criminal organization “is one of the mafias that we have in Italy, less known in the world than the Sicilian Mafia, the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta or the Neapolitan Camorra. The man had been wanted since 2023, with an important role in the organization based in Puglia. We hope – continues Landi – that this is only the beginning of international cooperation between law enforcement agencies”.
“What Italy has done is mainly due to Europol – concludes Landi – to the chain of command between this agency and the other members, together with the State Police Mobile Squad and the Central Operations Service, led by the Central Directorate for Anti-Drug Services”.
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