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Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
#993382
07/02/20 10:05 AM
07/02/20 10:05 AM
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Hollander
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Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
This spring, the French police were able to watch live which messages chatting criminals sent each other through the Encrochat network. Encrohat's servers were located in France and Switzerland. Police say the "massive interception operation" is the "largest criminal investigation ever." More than 20 million messages have been intercepted in Europe.
The French police launched an investigation in April into the network that provided encrypted communication services. Eurojust says it was clear that the users of the network were criminals. In addition to France and the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Norway were also involved in the study. Europol and Eurojust coordinated.
According to unconfirmed reports, a group of Dutch criminals set up the service. That was very lucrative. Users had to pay more than a thousand euros per year to connect to the service.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, more than 50,000 Encrochat telephones were active worldwide in 2020, of which approximately 12,000 were in the Netherlands. Encrochat was therefore one of the largest providers of encrypted digital communication.
The international investigation was made possible by a Franco-Dutch collaboration within a Joint Investigation Team (JIT). Dozens of police and judicial authorities at home and abroad, assisted in particular by Europol and Eurojust, have taken part in the secret investigative activities.
In the Netherlands, information from the 26Lemont investigation has now been made available in some hundred ongoing criminal investigations. More than 300 investigations are estimated to provide information about criminal organizations.
In a number of cases further investigations will be initiated. More arrests will follow in the near future.
The police listed the following actions taken in response to the Encrochat squat:
More than 100 suspects were arrested for very serious crimes Confiscated nearly 20 million euros in cash The seizure of 8,000 kilos of cocaine and more than 1,200 kilos of crystal meth 19 synthetic drug labs dismantled Dozens of firearms seized Processed over 3,000 signals in the Netherlands that seemed life-threatening, dozens of serious violent crimes, kidnappings, extortion, liquidations and torture Potential victims of criminal violence have been warned in 22 cases
"The king is dead, long live the king!"
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Re: Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
[Re: Hollander]
#993390
07/02/20 05:19 PM
07/02/20 05:19 PM
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Neo
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I don't know why they would use a centralized service with servers located in France.
They could have used a decentralized service like Jabber encrypted with OTR and configured to not store messages.
Last edited by Neo; 07/02/20 05:49 PM.
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Re: Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
[Re: Neo]
#993398
07/02/20 07:56 PM
07/02/20 07:56 PM
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Hollander
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I don't know why they would use a centralized service with servers located in France.
They could have used a decentralized service like Jabber encrypted with OTR and configured to not store messages. The smart thing is don't use PGP at all. Criminals are lazy I guess, oldschool mafiabosses like Provenzano had a pizzini system much safer but it takes time to communicate in particular when you want to send a message to the other side of the world. Ennetcom, MPC, IronChat and PGPSafe have already been dismantled by the police. At the moment, Sky's service is still very popular in the criminal environment, as it is known that it has not been cracked by the police.
Last edited by Hollander; 07/02/20 08:00 PM.
"The king is dead, long live the king!"
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Re: Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
[Re: Hollander]
#993405
07/02/20 10:08 PM
07/02/20 10:08 PM
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Posts: 847
Neo
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I don't know why they would use a centralized service with servers located in France.
They could have used a decentralized service like Jabber encrypted with OTR and configured to not store messages. The smart thing is don't use PGP at all. Criminals are lazy I guess, oldschool mafiabosses like Provenzano had a pizzini system much safer but it takes time to communicate in particular when you want to send a message to the other side of the world. Ennetcom, MPC, IronChat and PGPSafe have already been dismantled by the police. At the moment, Sky's service is still very popular in the criminal environment, as it is known that it has not been cracked by the police. Yeah Provenzano had a good system going until he decided he didn't want to do his own laundry and instead sent his laundry to his family to clean. Law enforcement simply tracked his laundry back to his hide out. I wonder what type of setup El Mencho and El Mayo use for comms. It must be something sopisticated, probably military technology.
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Re: Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
[Re: Hollander]
#993564
07/07/20 10:52 PM
07/07/20 10:52 PM
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Neo
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Kidnap and torture rooms found in Brabant through Encrochat. The leader of the group was arrested earlier in June gym owner Robin van O. (40) he is said to be an enemy of Ridouan Taghi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd5qrGI5QNEThat's crazy. I wonder who the intended victims were.
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Re: Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
[Re: Neo]
#993579
07/08/20 04:56 PM
07/08/20 04:56 PM
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Hollander
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Kidnap and torture rooms found in Brabant through Encrochat. The leader of the group was arrested earlier in June gym owner Robin van O. (40) he is said to be an enemy of Ridouan Taghi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd5qrGI5QNEThat's crazy. I wonder who the intended victims were. Several potential victims had been warned by police, we have to wait and see at the trial seems they have many crucial pgp messages.
"The king is dead, long live the king!"
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Re: Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
[Re: Hollander]
#993603
07/09/20 06:02 PM
07/09/20 06:02 PM
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Hollander
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UNDERWORLD TORTURE CHAMBER, PRISON FOUND IN NOORD-BRABANT, 6 ARRESTS By Janene Pieters on Tuesday, 7 July 2020 - 16:30
The police discovered an underworld prison and torture chamber in a warehouse in Wouwse Plantage in Noord-Brabant. Six men were arrested on June 22 on suspicion of preparing for abductions, hostage takings, and torture in the criminal underworld. In a second warehouse in Rotterdam, the police discovered a second location believed to be a base for criminals, the police said in a statement on Monday.
The discovery and arrests were made partly thanks to information from encrypted messages gained access to by hacking encrypted phone provider Encrochat. The police announced last week that this hack gave them access to millions of messages sent between criminals. The prime suspect, a 40-year-old man from The Hague suspected of involvement in drug trafficking, was linked to messages about abduction, torture and the underworld prison discovered in Noord-Brabant.
The Noord-Brabant underworld prison consisted of seven sea containers, the police said. Six of them were equipped to serve as jail cells, the seventh as a torture chamber, the police said. Intercepted messages contained photos of a container with a dental chair, with straps on the armrests and footrest. Abduction and torture were discussed in the messages. The suspects called the facility an 'ebi' - a Dutch acronym used for high security penitentiaries - with a 'treatment room'.
The police had the warehouse in Noord-Brabant under observation since mid-April and saw several men working on the sea containers almost every day. One of these men, a 44-year-old from Nieuwegein, also met with the prime suspect from The Hague and a known accomplice, a 43-year old man from Rotterdam, the police said. The combination of the Encrochat messages and observations led to their identification.
Investigators decided to step in when the prison seemed to be nearing completion. They found that the containers were equipped with sound insulating plates and heat insulating foils. Handcuffs were attached to the ceiling and floor in each of the cells, with a camera mounted in the corner so that an eye could be kept on the cells from a distance.
In one container, the police found several sets of police clothing, bulletproof vests, and flashing lights. Another container held bags of what the police believe were meant to be torture implements - pruning shears, loppers, branch saws, scalpels, pliers, handcuffs, finger cuffs, tape, balaclavas, and black cotton bags that can be pulled over the head. They also found thee stolen vans and two fast BMWs, and a sleeping area set up in an adjacent room, believed to be for guards.
The chats also spoke of a second warehouse, located right next to the A16 in Rotterdam. There the police found seven handguns and an automatic assault rifle, a Chinese variant of the Kalashnikov AK-47. Several of the suspects were seen at both warehouses. The police also raided eleven other locations. In a home in Rotterdam, they found 24 kilograms of MDMA. A total of 25 weapons were found among the suspects.
According to the police, they could deduce from the messages who the intended targets of the abductions and torture were. These people were warned and went into hiding, the police said.
The six men were arraigned and remanded into custody. They are suspected of preparing for abductions, hostage takings, aggravated assault, extortion, and participation in a criminal organization. Two of them are also suspected of illegal weapons possession.
"The king is dead, long live the king!"
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Re: Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
[Re: Hollander]
#993604
07/09/20 06:35 PM
07/09/20 06:35 PM
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Joined: Jun 2015
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Neo
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Van O. was part of several criminal groups called 'the Alliance' or Los Pepes, they formed a front against Taghi's reign of terror. Los Pepes were called after the colombian vigilante group made up of enemies of Pablo Escobar. Interesting. Thanks for the information.
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Re: Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
[Re: TheKillingJoke]
#993670
07/11/20 11:46 AM
07/11/20 11:46 AM
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Also all those police clothing, bulletproof vests, and flashing lights, they seem to have infiltrated LE. Never heard about Van O. before, but criminals that are able to build these kind of sophisticated torture rooms obviously have a ton of resources and power. He was in the news previously but didn't know he was one of the main guys of the Alliance he worked with Moes F. Currently in a Moroccan cell and target of the failed hit in Marrakesh. Seems these rooms were linked to a group of kampers/travellers.
Last edited by Hollander; 07/11/20 12:00 PM.
"The king is dead, long live the king!"
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Re: Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
[Re: Neo]
#994376
07/24/20 05:11 PM
07/24/20 05:11 PM
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Hollander
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I wonder what type of setup El Mencho and El Mayo use for comms. It must be something sopisticated, probably military technology.
El Chapo used a network from Leaseweb which is a Dutch hostingprovider with the server in Haarlem. The FBI infiltrated Leaseweb and tapped into more than 800 calls on the Blackberry encrypted system of El Chapo.
Last edited by Hollander; 07/24/20 05:19 PM.
"The king is dead, long live the king!"
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Re: Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
[Re: Hollander]
#994422
07/24/20 11:17 PM
07/24/20 11:17 PM
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Joined: Jun 2015
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Neo
Underboss
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I wonder what type of setup El Mencho and El Mayo use for comms. It must be something sopisticated, probably military technology.
El Chapo used a network from Leaseweb which is a Dutch hostingprovider with the server in Haarlem. The FBI infiltrated Leaseweb and tapped into more than 800 calls on the Blackberry encrypted system of El Chapo. I just read up on it and it looks like the IT specialist the Sinaloa cartel hired turned informant and helped setup the whole thing so the feds could monitor their comms.
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Re: Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
[Re: Neo]
#994429
07/25/20 05:49 AM
07/25/20 05:49 AM
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Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 24,666
Hollander
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I wonder what type of setup El Mencho and El Mayo use for comms. It must be something sopisticated, probably military technology.
El Chapo used a network from Leaseweb which is a Dutch hostingprovider with the server in Haarlem. The FBI infiltrated Leaseweb and tapped into more than 800 calls on the Blackberry encrypted system of El Chapo. I just read up on it and it looks like the IT specialist the Sinaloa cartel hired turned informant and helped setup the whole thing so the feds could monitor their comms. You're right Neo. According to the Dutch Public Prosecution Service, the infiltrator decided in 2011 to move the communication infrastructure from Canada to the Netherlands. First, the FBI asked the Public Prosecution Service to authorize this and whether it wanted to eavesdrop on and forward communications. The Public Prosecution Service agreed to this. Good agreements have been made with the FBI undercover officer about what he could and should not do on Dutch territory. After the infiltrator set up the server in the Netherlands, a backup server was set up. That backup server, which also received all communications, was tapped. Via the servers in the Netherlands, the communications of seventy members of the cartel could be monitored. The discussions focused on drug transports, but also on corruption. According to the Public Prosecution Service, many of the recorded conversations were important in the American case in which JoaquÃn 'El Chapo' Guzmán was found guilty.
"The king is dead, long live the king!"
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Re: Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
[Re: Hollander]
#994534
07/26/20 06:23 PM
07/26/20 06:23 PM
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Hollander
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Police believe they are winning the long war with the overseas crime bosses who sponsor violence on the streets of Merseyside. Senior officers have described the hacking of the EncroChat messaging system as a "game changer" in their battle with the region's organised crime groups. The penetration of the encrypted system has allowed police to see the secret messages sent by criminals as they discuss drugs, guns and murder plots. The EncroChat breakthrough , known to police as Operation Venetic, has also brought into focus the so called "Mr Bigs" who control crime on Merseyside from the safety of villas and hotel suites in Amsterdam, Marbella and Dubai. https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/war-mr-bigs-running-crime-18656993
"The king is dead, long live the king!"
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Re: Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
[Re: Hollander]
#1006934
03/10/21 02:44 PM
03/10/21 02:44 PM
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The well-known Belgian kickboxer Jamal Ben S. is one of the dozens of suspects who were arrested by the police of crypto company Sky ECC in the Netherlands and Belgium after the hack. What the suspicion is against him remains unknown. According to the Gazet van Antwerpen, the police also raided his home on Tuesday evening. In Belgium, a trainee and a former employee of the well-known lawyer Pol van den Meulenbroucke, Sahil M. and Jawad H., were also arrested, possibly in the charger of a major drug investigation. Furthermore, a prominent Belgian Hell's Angel, a figure from the Aquino family from Belgian Limburg, and a large number of other figures from the Belgian drug trade have been arrested.
"The king is dead, long live the king!"
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Re: Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
[Re: Hollander]
#1006944
03/10/21 04:36 PM
03/10/21 04:36 PM
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TheKillingJoke
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It's unseen. They're busting everyone.
Moroccans, Italians, Belgian bikers, Dutch, Turks, Kurds, Assyrians, Albanians, Brabant Travellers, Algerians, Tunisians, Russians, Georgians, Armenians, Greeks, Serbs/Montenegrins, Israelis, Chechens, British, Irish, Scottish...fucking hell...if this goes on, they're going to bust EVERYBODY who ever has ever been brought into connection with organized crime and had dealings in the Antwerp and Rotterdam ports
This is a bust that's unparalleled in scope. I really don't know what will be unleashed with this
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Re: Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
[Re: Hollander]
#1006984
03/11/21 05:04 PM
03/11/21 05:04 PM
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Hollander
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Two members of the local police in Antwerp have been arrested on suspicion of corruption and participation in a criminal organization. According to the Antwerp public prosecutor's office, it concerns two chief inspectors.
A chief inspector of PZ Antwerp would have been approached from the criminal environment. On Thursday morning, a house search was carried out on behalf of the investigating judge in which the man and his partner, who also works for the Antwerp police, were arrested. This was followed by searches in the workplaces of the two members of PZ Antwerp.
The information the police responded to comes from the police cracking down on encrypted messages from Sky ECC. According to the prosecutor's office, the police could intercept 1 billion messages in this way.
The suspicion against the man his participation in a criminal organization, corruption and violation of professional secrecy. The woman will not be brought before the investigating judge.
The Gazet van Antwerpen writes that one of the two works in the drug support team (DOT), which focuses on the drug retail trade in Antwerp.
"The king is dead, long live the king!"
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Re: Encrochat largest criminal investigation ever
[Re: Hollander]
#1007323
03/15/21 04:40 AM
03/15/21 04:40 AM
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Arrest warrants for Canadians behind Sky ECC cryptophone networks used by organised crime The US has issued arrest warrants for the CEO of Sky Global and a former distributor for racketeering following an investigation by police in Europe. They are accused racketeering, aiding and abetting the distribution of illegal drugs by supplying encrypted phones to criminals https://www.computerweekly.com/news...tophone-networks-used-by-organised-crime
Last edited by Hollander; 03/15/21 04:41 AM.
"The king is dead, long live the king!"
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