International Law Enforcement Dismantles ‘Ghost’ Phone App Used for Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering

International law enforcement has successfully taken down a notorious cybercrime phone application known as ‘Ghost’, which had been widely used by criminal organizations to facilitate drug trafficking and money laundering. As part of the global crackdown, 51 individuals were arrested, with 38 arrests in Australia, 11 in Ireland, one in Italy, and one in Canada.

The operation was a joint effort, coordinated by European agencies Europol and Eurojust, in collaboration with law enforcement from multiple countries. Authorities also dismantled a drug lab in Australia and seized weapons, drugs, and over €1 million ($1 million) in cash during the raid.

The ‘Ghost’ app had gained popularity among criminal networks due to its advanced security features, which allowed users to operate without revealing personal information. One of its key features was the ability for users to ‘self-destruct’ messages they sent, making it difficult for law enforcement to trace their communications.

“This allowed criminal networks to communicate securely [and] evade detection,” Europol said in a statement. The organization estimated that “several thousand people” worldwide had used the app, with around one thousand messages being exchanged daily via the platform.

Servers for the app were discovered in France and Iceland, while the company’s owners were based in Australia. “Financial assets were located in the United States, a global operation against the phone service started,” Europol added.

Officials hailed the dismantling of the ‘Ghost’ network as a major victory in the fight against global organized crime. Europol’s Executive Director, Catherine De Bolle, emphasized the significance of the operation, stating: “We have made it clear that no matter how hidden criminal networks think they are, they can’t evade our collective effort.”

The operation was carried out with the support of law enforcement agencies from Australia, Canada, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States.

By fLEXI tEAM