Cocaine worth €15 million seized in Ireland after global crime platform infiltrated

The platform, known as Ghost, was used to facilitate criminal activities such as drug trafficking, money laundering and cases of extreme violence, authorities said.

Europol, together with law enforcement authorities from nine countries, has dismantled the instrument described as a “lifeline” for serious organised crime.

The Garda Siochana (Irish police) said it was conducting Ghost-related investigations into four identified organised crime gangs in Ireland that were involved in drug trafficking and money laundering on a “significant scale”.

The infiltration of the platform led to a series of searches at 27 premises in Dublin and the eastern counties of Ireland on Monday evening, involving 300 police officers.

Representatives from Europol, the Australian Federal Police and the FBI were in Ireland for the operation.

As a result of the operation and previous Garda activity related to Ghost, Gardai seized €15 million worth of cocaine, €230,000 (£194,000) worth of cannabis and €100,000 (£84,000) worth of heroin, as well as €350,000 (£295,000) in cash.

Other items seized included 27 laptops, 42 devices suspected of being encrypted with Ghost ECC, and 126 other mobile devices.

In addition, eleven arrests were made.

At a joint press conference on Wednesday, Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said: “Today we have made it clear that criminal networks, no matter how hidden they are, cannot escape our joint efforts.”

Europol Deputy Executive Director Jean-Philippe Lecouffe added: “This has truly been a global game of cat and mouse and today the game is over.”