Europol and Eurojust, together with other police and judicial authorities around the world, have successfully intervened in an encrypted communication platform that was established to facilitate serious and organised crime perpetrated by dangerous criminal networks operating globally. The platform, called Ghost, was used as a tool to carry out a wide range of criminal activities, such as large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering, extreme violence cases, and other forms of serious and organised crime.

Ghost had gained strength among criminal organisations thanks to its advanced security features. Users could purchase the tool without providing any personal information. The solution used three encryption standards and offered the option to send a message followed by a specific code that would trigger the self-destruction of all messages on the target phone. This enabled criminal networks to communicate securely, evade detection, counter forensic measures, and coordinate their illegal operations across borders.

Thousands of people around the world used this tool, which had its own infrastructure and applications, and was supported by a network of distributors based in several countries. On a global scale, around a thousand messages were exchanged daily through Ghost.

Since the servers were located in France and Iceland, the company owners were in Australia, and the financial assets were in the United States, a global operation was initiated against this telephone service.

The overturning operation involved a series of coordinated raids and technical interventions. In the course of the investigation, 51 suspects – 38 in Australia, 11 in Ireland, one in Canada, and one in Italy – belonging to the Italian mafia organisation Sacra Corona Unita have been arrested.

Further arrests are expected as the investigation advances.

Moreover, several threats to life were prevented and a drug laboratory in Australia was dismantled, along with weapons, other drugs, and more than one million euros in cash seized worldwide.

To facilitate investigations into illegal activities enabled by this communication platform, an Operational Task Force (OTF) was set up at Europol in March 2022, with participation from police authorities in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States.

This working group has been instrumental in mapping the global technical infrastructure and has been successful in guiding it by identifying key providers and users of the platform, tracking its criminal usage, and executing the coordinated effort to shut it down, all under the judicial supervision of the JIT (Joint Investigation Team) countries.

On the basis of law enforcement cooperation, a JIT was set up between the French and US authorities in January 2024 with the support of Eurojust and Europol.

This complex and global operation has been possible thanks to the active cooperation between the countries involved and Europol, which have participated in the various components of the investigative activities, including actions against high-risk criminal organisations and high-value targets, cyber investigations, the analysis of cryptocurrency transactions, the frequent exchange of intelligence through Europol’s secure channels, and dozens of operational meetings organised in various countries.

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The German police inspectorate of the Cloppenburg-Vechta region, in conjunction with Europol, is requesting assistance from the public in solving a 28-year-old murder case linked to organised crime.

Despite the extensive investigations carried out over so many years, the identity of the suspects remains unknown, and authorities hope that new information will finally help solve the case.

It is known that a brutal murder occurred in Dümmerlohausen, Germany, on 8 August 1996. The victim was found full of bullets, next to a red vehicle that had been stolen.

The deceased, a man from the former Yugoslavia, was involved in various criminal networks and was known to law enforcement for his participation in several robberies in the north of the country. He is believed to have been staying in an Oldenburg hotel at the time of his murder, where he was presumably hiding.

Although there was a thorough investigation, the identity of the killers has remained a mystery for the past 28 years.

Recent developments in forensic technology,combined with renewed investigative efforts, have allowed the German police to re-examine the case. To expand the scope of the investigation, the German authorities have requested Europol’s support.

The case falls under the remit of Europol’s European Serious Organised Crime Centre, whose mandate has recently been expanded to counter the use of violence by organised crime groups. Europol’s work in this area covers a wide spectrum, from the most recent trends to cases from decades ago.

Authorities are now asking anyone with information, however insignificant it may seem, to come to the police station. The information can also be provided anonymously to the authorities.

The Oldenburg Police Department is offering a reward of 5000 euros for information leading to the resolution of the case and the detention of the perpetrator(s). This reward would be granted according to the Oldenburg Public Prosecutor’s Office.

To promote citizen collaboration, the German authorities have produced a short film with previously undisclosed details about the case, as well as original photographs and excerpts from the investigation files. In this way, potential witnesses or knowledgeable individuals regarding the murder are intended to be reached.

Finally, users can also upload files and images anonymously through the suggestion portal, which allows witnesses to contact the police.

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At the end of August this year, the Bulgarian police authorities arrested eight alleged members of a gang involved in human trafficking in Europe. Four of the suspects detained during the police operation had already been identified as high-value targets who had played leading roles in organised criminal activities. The gang had charged up to €6,000 per person and had smuggled more than 130 people from Turkey to Bulgaria and then to other European destinations via the Western Balkans route.

A total of 15 dwellings in the region of the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv were searched in the operation, with Europol experts and police officers from Romania and Moldova deployed on the ground to support the Bulgarian authorities in their measures.

As a result of these searches, police authorities seized 13 mobile phones, a weapon and ammunition, as well as vehicle documents related to incidents of migrant smuggling in Bulgaria.

This action was carried out within the framework of a regional task force coordinated by Europol, based in Sofia, which focuses on criminal networks trafficking migrants from Turkey to Bulgaria and on to Western Europe.

The smuggling activities resembled the operation of a complex enterprise involving leaders, organisers, and facilitators of various nationalities.

The main leaders were Syrian and Jordanian nationals, who would coordinate criminal activities with other smugglers located in Turkey and along the Western Balkan route. Bulgarian nationals were responsible for logistics, that is, finding and purchasing vehicles used to transport migrants and registering them in the name of other individuals in exchange for a small amount of money. The band would also use drivers from Moldova recruited via the internet.

Since April of that year, 17 incidents related to this gang had been identified, involving migrant trafficking. One of the main leaders was already known to law enforcement, having been investigated in the past for migrant smuggling activities in Austria and Croatia.

Irregular migrants would cross the border between Turkey and Bulgaria on foot, using the guide services offered by organisers in Turkey. After crossing the border, they would be found by Moldovan drivers who would transport them to the Bulgarian-Serbian or Bulgarian-Romanian border.

The drivers received the cars and the GPS coordinates and were sent overnight to pick up the migrants at the agreed-upon locations. Drivers had to communicate with other group members through mobile apps with self-destructing messaging. They received 100 euros per person transported, with an average of between €700 and €1,000 per trip.

The migrants paid around 6,000 euros to be smuggled into Bosnia-Herzegovina and more than 4,000 euros for transportation to Serbia.

Europol’s European Migrant Smuggling Centre has been supporting the work of the task force since its creation. A wide-ranging operational analysis was carried out to identify the various targets and map their criminal activities. Europol also brought together the different countries involved to jointly prepare the final phase of the investigation.

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The Polish Police Central Bureau of Investigation (Centralne Biuro Śledcze Policji – CBŚP) and the Counter Narcotics Department of the National Police of Ukraine carried out a large-scale operation to dismantle the sites of synthetic opioid production.

Europol supported this operation, which resulted in the dismantling of the largest synthetic opioid laboratory known to date in Poland. During raids conducted in both countries, 7 members of the criminal network responsible for drug production in Poland and Ukraine were arrested. In addition to dismantling several laboratories and seizing large quantities of chemicals and drug precursors, police officers successfully seized 195 kilos of crystal methadone.

The results of the action day include:

• Arrest of 7 members of the criminal network.
• Dismantling of the largest synthetic opioid laboratory ever found in Poland, used to produce crystal methadone.
• Dismantling of 8 multi-laboratories in Poland and Ukraine, used for the production of synthetic cathinones (mephedrone, Alpha-PVP) and methadone.
• Seizure of 195 kilos of crystal methadone.
• Seizure of 153 kilograms of Alfa-PVP.
• Seizure of more than 430 litres of mixtures of different types of drugs prepared for the final production phase.
• Seizure of large quantities of drug precursors and chemical substances necessary for the production of opioids.

Methadone, a synthetic opioid, is a substance used in the medical field as an analgesic and in the treatment of opioid addiction. However, the substance produced by the criminal network was in a concentrated crystalline form, which is only found on the illegal drug market.

Law enforcement agencies also confiscated substances such as mephedrone and Alpha-PVP, which belong to the group of synthetic cathinones and represent a growing problem in several EU member states. These drugs cause serious psychological and neurological disorders, and their abuse is linked to a high risk of addiction, organ damage, and death.

To obtain more information about the reality of the European illicit markets, it is necessary to consult the EU Drug Markets Report of Europol and the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA).

This operational success, which involved Polish and Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, highlights the effectiveness of cross-border collaboration, which is crucial for protecting the lives and health of citizens from the dangers posed by international crime.

Europol supports its partners in the fight against the production, trafficking, and distribution of synthetic drugs. In 2023, Europol sent an Early Warning Notification to its Member States and partners, warning them of an increase in trafficking of this type of drug. During the investigation phase of the operation, Europol provided information for cross-verification and analysis to support investigators working in the field.

Europol maintains the European Illegal Laboratory Comparison System (EILCS), which contains details of equipment and chemicals used in laboratories, storage sites, and dumping sites for synthetic drugs. This information allows Europol analysts to compare the new incoming information with previous cases. This allows them to find links between illegal sites and help EU member states suppress production facilities across Europe.

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An operation led by the Romanian Police (Poliția Română) together with the Romanian Border Police (Frontieră Police), and the support of Europol and the Bulgarian General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (Главна Дирекция Борба с органитатъ) has resulted in the dismantling of an organised crime network involved in migrant smuggling. The suspects were smuggling migrants from Bulgaria to Romania and then across Western Europe. The investigation was also supported by other countries such as Austria, Germany, and Hungary.

Results of the operation:

• Nine locations found (2 in Arad, 3 in Bucharest, 1 in Oradea and 3 in Timișoara).
• Eight arrests (Romanian and Syrian nationals).
• Thirty-two migrants found in one of the registered houses (9 Iraqis and 21 Syrians, as well as 2 others of unknown nationality).
• The interceptions included documents, electronic equipment, and cash.

Investigations revealed that the criminal network, mainly made up of Syrian and Romanian nationals, operated from Bucharest and used Timişoara as a hub for housing and as a place to facilitate the transportation of migrants to Western Europe. The suspects recruited migrants from the Middle East, mainly Syria, who wanted to reach Western European countries, especially Germany.

The leader of the criminal network, a Syrian national who had lived in Romania for three years, had strong links to other key organisers based in Istanbul, Turkey. He acted as a regional coordinator of migrant smuggling activities along that stretch of the route. He allegedly recruited Romanian nationals, who normally worked as private taxi drivers, to transport the migrants. Between February and May alone, Romanian authorities detected five smuggling incidents involving a total of 70 irregular migrants. The individuals were transported in trucks, hidden among goods. Each migrant paid between €5,000 and €10,000 for the full smuggling services to their final destination.

Europol facilitated the exchange of information and provided operational coordination and analytical support. On the day of the police action, Europol sent an analyst to Romania to cross-check operational information against Europol’s databases and to provide leads to investigators on the ground. Europol also facilitated the deployment of investigators from Bulgaria to support Romanian officers involved in the operational actions on the ground.

The European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) addresses the major threats posed by serious and organised international crime affecting the EU. EMPACT strengthens intelligence, strategic and operational cooperation between national authorities, Union institutions and bodies, and international partners. EMPACT is carried out in four-year cycles focusing on the EU’s common crime priorities.

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