'Suspects behind the sale of Encrochat telephones laundered millions'
February 28, 2024

In an investigation into the encrypted messaging service Encrochat, the name of a well-known convicted drug trafficker has emerged. He is said to have been in contact with three men suspected of selling the devices. These three are currently on trial on charges of membership of a criminal organization. They are said to have laundered 56 million euros.

Trio
These are Eindhoven residents Frans S. (64), Peter H. (43) and Hassan K. (48). The AD wrote this on Wednesday. The first is a former catering manager, the second has a car wash and the third is a performance coach. According to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), the trio functioned as a kind of middle management of the encrypted messaging service

Switch
The name of another Dutchman appears in the research: Tommy van der S. (42). The Eindhoven resident was one of the most wanted criminals in the Netherlands for years. He was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2017 as the leader of a drug gang that had its headquarters in an antique store, the newspaper said.

Van der S. is said to have acted as the link between the absolute bosses of EncroChat and the Dutch trio. He is on the run, having previously been arrested in Dubai but never extradited.

Money laundering
According to the Public Prosecution Service, the three were guilty of laundering the 56 million in income from Encrochat. Lawyer Marijn Zuketto questions the criminal nature of Encrochat: 'The Public Prosecution Service just assumes that the phones were paid for with money derived from crime. But I'd like to see that sometime.'

Last month, the alleged mastermind behind EncroChat, Canadian Paul Krusky, was extradited to France.