National Crime Agency and police have smashed thousands of criminal conspiracies after the infiltration of encrypted communication platform #EncroChat in the UK's biggest ever law enforcement operation.

Read more https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/operation-venetic

Entire organised crime groups have been dismantled during Operation Venetic with 746 arrests being made and £54m criminal cash, 77 firearms and over 2 tonnes of drugs seized so far.

#EncroChat – a bespoke encrypted global communication service used exclusively by criminals – offered a secure mobile phone instant messaging service, but an international law enforcement team cracked the company’s encryption.

There were over 60,000 users worldwide and 10,000 in the UK.

The sole use of the platform was for coordinating and planning the distribution of illicit commodities, money laundering and plotting to kill rival criminals.

NCA has been working with international law enforcement agencies since 2016 to target #EncroChat and other encrypted criminal communication platforms, sharing technical expertise and intelligence.

The #EncroChat servers have now been shut down.

NCA Director of Investigations, Nikki Holland:

“The infiltration of this command and control communication platform for the UK’s criminal marketplace is like having an inside man in every top organised crime group in the country.

“This is the broadest and deepest ever UK operation into serious and organised crime. Any criminal who uses an encrypted phone should be very, very worried.”