French, Dutch, and EU prosecutors announced on Tuesday that cracking encrypted EncroChat phones has led to over 6,500 global arrests. The phones were primarily used by drug dealers, arms smugglers, and money launderers. Europol and Eurojust noted that the information gained from EncroChat phones has provided new insight into organized crime.

EncroChat sold phones that promised “complete anonymity” for between 1,000 and 1,500 euros each. French and Dutch investigators gained access to servers in the northern French town of Roubaix, where over 60,000 criminals sent 115 million communications. The ensuing arrests included 197 high-value targets and recovered huge amounts of illegal drugs and financial assets. French law enforcement has investigated EncroChat since 2017, and various leaders within the company have now been detained. Police announced they had access to EncroChat phones in 2020, yet arrests linked to the encrypted phones continue in 2023.

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https://apnews.com/article/encrypted-phones-crime-encrochat-drugs-arrests-3ccc15ef095c201eb9fe55837bfdd886