Encrypted messaging system discovered in the EU, 42 people arrested
Feb 04, 2023
Brussels [Belgium], February 4: Police in several European Union countries discovered an encrypted messaging application used by criminal gangs, the Dutch police said tonight, adding that 42 people were arrested and that laboratories for the production of drugs, medicines, money and weapons were discovered.
Investigators conducted the raids in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands after more than two years of investigation, which began in September 2020 and led to the shutdown of the secret messaging system Exlu Messenger.
Dutch police said that investigators accessed the data of those encrypted messages used by criminals and thus were able to read their messages over the past few months.
Police from France, Italy and Sweden, as well as the European Police Service (Europol) and the European Agency for Judicial Cooperation Eurojust (Eurojust) participated in that investigation.
Police officers found two drug laboratories, a cocaine processing plant, as well as several kilograms of drugs, four million euros in cash, luxury items and weapons.
The Exlu Messenger application was used by about 3,000 people, of whom about 750 spoke Dutch. That application was installed on smartphones and cost 800 euros for six months.
"That application was intended for the exchange of messages, photos, voice messages, online chat and videos," the Dutch police said.
Source: Beta News Agency
