Four criminal gangs in Ireland targeted in massive Europol hack of Ghost encrypted phone platform [Video]

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AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM of police hackers has targeted four organised crime groups in Ireland in a massive global police operation.

In a significant success for international anti-organised crime policing French Gendarme cyber experts infiltrated the platform known as Ghost.

The system was used to facilitate a wide range of criminal activities, including large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering, organising murders and other forms of serious and organised crime. It was particularly popular with international criminal groups because it claimed to have advanced security features. 

Assistant Commissioner Justin Kelly has told a press conference in Europol’s headquarters in the Hague that the operation has “dismantled a primary trafficking route” into Ireland. 

He said that 11 arrests have been made and there is likely to be more in the coming months. 

The operation targeted an encrypted communication service used by international drug gangs – the servers were in Iceland and Switzerland, the administrator …