German security authorities stated Tuesday they made more than 750 arrests and took big quantities of drugs after getting to substantial chat information of encrypted cellular phones.
The focus of the examination, which began in April 2020, was on information from users of the supplier EncroChat who were associated with the controlled substance trade, Frankfurt district attorneys and the nation’s Federal Crime Police Office stated in a composed declaration.
Dutch and French authorities assisted with the examination, district attorneys stated.
“The EncroChat data was obtained in the context of a French investigation,” Frankfurt district attorney Julia Bussweiler informed The Associated Press. “The French authorities, together with the Dutch authorities, set up a so-called joint investigation team and within this investigation team they managed to decrypt the encrypted data and thus read the communication between the users of the Enchrochat mobile phones.”
Investigators took 3.2 metric lots (3.5 brief lots) of marijuana, about 320 kgs (700 pounds) of miracle drugs, more than 125,500 euphoria tablets, nearly 400 kgs (880 pounds) of drug and 10 kgs (22 pounds) of heroin, authorities stated.
They likewise seized 310 weapons, more than 12,200 rounds of ammo and properties worth 168 million euros ($223 million).
Prosecutor Bussweiler stated the examination was far from over and they were still sorting through and examining the taken information.
“There are many people who are in pretrial detention,” she stated. “The data is being checked to see whether it is sufficient for an indictment.”
