Gardaí have seized drugs worth €16m and arrested 11 people after an encrypted communication platform known as ‘Ghost’ which was used by some of Ireland’s biggest drugs gangs was cracked.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Europol were also present in Ireland for the operations which involved over 300 specialist gardaí and targeted four gangs based here.
This includes ‘The Family’ crime group, led by brothers from west Dublin, who are now considered one of the most significant traffickers of cocaine and heroin into Ireland.
The Ghost platform was being used by Irish gangs as well as the Italian mafia, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and Korean mobs to organise drug shipments, money laundering and murders.
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The owners of Ghost were based in Australia which has the largest number of users, followed by Ireland. After a lengthy international investigation, the network was taken down during operations across nine countries. 51 suspects have been arrested in Australia, 11 here, one in Canada and one in Italy linked to the Sacra Corona Unit mafia.
The Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) has been coordinating investigations into the Ghost platform here and have identified four separate organised crime gangs using the network.
These gangs, based in Dublin and in the east of the country, are suspected to be involved in drug trafficking, money laundering and related criminality.
On Monday over 300 gardaí were involved in a series of searches including detectives attached to the DOCB, the Cyber Crime Bureau, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the National Surveillance Unit and the Garda’s Intelligence Services.
Members of Europol, the Australian Federal Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations were also in Ireland to support the operation.
Assistant Commissioner Justin Kelly, in charge of the Garda investigations into organised and serious crime, said that Ireland had the second largest user base of the Ghost platform, making the operations particularly significant here.
He said that the Irish crime groups involved have purposely based themselves abroad and try and thwart the efforts of gardaí, placing an emphasis on international law enforcement cooperation.
Mr Kelly added that the operations have also helped dismantle a primary drug trafficking route into Ireland and targeted the key facilitators of the encrypted platform here.
The senior investigator also paid tribute to the garda units involved, international law enforcement partners, Revenue, and the “men and women who put themselves in harm’s way” to protect the public from organised crime gangs.
The Australian Federal Police has said the complex investigations helped prevent a total of 50 murders with a further 50 people now facing criminal charges in relation to these kill plots.
A 32-year-old man living in Sydney is believed to have set up the Ghost network nine years ago and is also under investigation.
In total gardaí have seized almost €16m worth of drugs, mostly cocaine, and searched 33 properties with a further €350k in cash recovered.
11 people have also been arrested with 42 Ghost devices seized along with 126 mobile phones, 27 laptops, 200 SIM cards.
Proceeds of crime investigations are also being carried out into two crypto currency keys recovered as well as six Rolex watches and one 2021 Range Rover 4×4.
As part of the operation on Monday gardaí seized over €7m worth of cocaine and arrested five suspects in an operation targeting the major crime group known as ‘The Family’. One of the men in custody is a transport company owner and considered one of the gangs key facilitators here.
The Ghost platform used to facilitate a wide range of criminal activities, including large scale drug trafficking, money laundering, instances of extreme violence and other serious criminality.
The Ghost app was used by crime groups because of its advanced security features, with users able to purchase it without providing any personal information. The platform also used three encryption standards along with an option to send messages followed by a specific self-destruction code.
Europol estimate that thousands of criminals used the tool worldwide, including four Irish crime gangs, with more arrests expected as part of the international operation.