Getty ImagesGardaí (Irish police) have seized €15.2m (£12.8m) worth of cocaine and 42 suspected encrypted devices as part of a major international investigation.
They also said they dismantled an encrypted communication platform, known as Ghost.
It was used to facilitate a wide range of criminal activities, including large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering, instances of extreme violence and other forms of serious and organised crime.
During the operation, gardaí also seized €350,000 (£294,884) in cash, €320,000 (£269,609) worth of cannabis, €100,000 (£84,252) worth of cocaine, and 153 other electronic devices.
A total of 11 arrests were made.
Day of action
In Ireland, gardaí have been investigating four identified organised crime groups and support networks based in the Dublin and eastern region.
On Monday, as part of this international investigation involving Europol, a coordinated international law enforcement day of action was carried out.
More than 300 gardaí searched 27 premises on Monday evening.
Representatives from Europol, Australian Federal Police and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation were also in Ireland in support of the ongoing operation.
During these searches, investigating gardaí seized:
- €300,000 (£252,795) in cash
- Two cryptocurrency keys (contents under investigation)
- 42 suspected Ghost ECC encrypted devices
- 126 other mobile devices
- 27 laptops
- 200 plus SIM cards
- Six Rolex watches
- One 2021 Range Rover Jeep
They also intercepted an articulated truck in the south-east of the country on Monday.
Following a search of the truck, gardaí recovered 100kg of cocaine in a deep concealment.
This cocaine, subject to analysis by Forensic Science Ireland, is valued at €7m (£5.8m).
Five men, aged in their 30s, 40s and 50s, have been arrested in relation to this part of the operation.
Previous garda activity, directly related to the investigation into the Ghost platform, involved:
- Six premises being searched
- Six people being arrested
- 118kg of cocaine seized, valued in Ireland at €8,260,000 (€6,595,707)
- 1.5kg heroin seized, valued in Ireland at €100,000 (£84,252)
- 16kg of cannabis seized, valued in Ireland at €320,000 (£269,609)
- €50,000 in cash seized
Garda investigations remain ongoing at this time.
Getty ImagesWhat is the Ghost platform?
In a statement on Wednesday, An Garda Síochána said the Ghost platform had gained traction among criminal organisations due to its advanced security features.
Users could purchase the solution without any personal information.
The solution used three encryption standards and offered the option to send a message followed by a specific code that results in self-destruction of all messages on the target phone.
This allowed criminal networks to communicate securely, evade detection, counter forensic measures, and coordinate their illegal operations across borders.
Worldwide, several thousands of individuals used the tool, which has its own infrastructure and applications with a network of resellers based in several countries.
On a global scale, around a thousand messages are being exchanged each day via Ghost.
‘They know no boundaries’
Speaking at Europol Headquarters in The Hague, Assistant Commissioner Justin Kelly, of Organised and Serious Crime, said An Garda Síochána’s involvement in this Europol operational task force “demonstrates Ireland’s ongoing commitment and capacity to operate at an international level targeting transnational organised crime groups which cause so much harm and misery not just in Ireland but in countries across the world”.
“Transnational organised crime group networks know no boundaries and do not respect any international borders or rules of law,” he said.
“It takes a network to defeat a network and today’s announcement is clear indication of the power of law enforcement networks in degrading and dismantling the activities of these criminal networks.”
