EncroChat Takedown: Over 6,500 Arrests and €900 Million Seized in Blow to Organized Crime
- The dismantling of EncroChat led to 6,558 arrests worldwide, including 197 high-value targets, and the seizure or freezing of nearly €900 million in criminal funds.
- Europol and Eurojust played key roles in the operation, with Europol’s Operational Taskforce ‘OTF EMMA’ analyzing over 115 million messages and providing almost 700 actionable intelligence packages to countries globally.
The French and Dutch judicial and law enforcement authorities revealed in Lille today that the takedown of the encrypted communication tool EncroChat, in 2020, has resulted in 6,558 arrests worldwide, including 197 high-value targets. Nearly €900 million in criminal funds have been seized or frozen since the operation began.
EncroChat was an encrypted communication tool widely used by organized crime groups (OCGs) for illicit activities such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and planning violent attacks. Authorities intercepted over 115 million criminal conversations from an estimated 60,000 users, paving the way for a massive crackdown on OCGs.
International Collaboration
The successful operation was the result of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) established by French and Dutch authorities in 2020, supported by Eurojust and Europol. The information obtained was shared with EU Member States and third countries, leading to extensive seizures and arrests.
Three years after the encryption was broken by law enforcement, the accumulated figures reveal:
- 6,558 suspects arrested, including 197 High Value Targets
- 7,134 years of imprisonment for convicted criminals
- €739.7 million in cash seized
- €154.1 million in assets or bank accounts frozen
- 30.5 million pills of chemical drugs seized
- 103.5 tonnes of cocaine seized
- 163.4 tonnes of cannabis seized
- 3.3 tonnes of heroin seized
- 971 vehicles seized
- 271 estates or homes seized
- 923 weapons, 21,750 rounds of ammunition, and 68 explosives seized
- 83 boats and 40 planes seized
Deciphering EncroChat
Investigations into EncroChat began in 2017 when French Gendarmerie Nationale discovered the phones were regularly found during operations against OCGs. The company operating EncroChat was discovered to be using servers in France. Authorities succeeded in bypassing encryption techniques, gaining access to users’ correspondence.
Europol’s Crucial Role
Europol played a significant role in the operation. The organization set up an Operational Taskforce named ‘OTF EMMA’, which assembled investigators and experts from various countries. This task force analyzed over 115 million messages and data received from the JIT partners, cross-referenced the data with Europol’s information systems, and produced almost 700 actionable intelligence packages that were shared with countries worldwide.
About EncroChat
EncroChat phones were marketed as providing perfect anonymity, discretion, and untraceability to users. The devices had functions for automatic message deletion and a specific PIN code to erase all data on the device. Additionally, the device could be remotely wiped by the reseller. EncroChat sold encrypted phones for around €1,000 each, along with subscriptions costing €1,500 for a six-month period.
