Gardai help dismantle criminal gangs’ ‘Ghost’ platform during major international operation

Gardai said they and several other law enforcement agencies around the world had “dismantled” an encrypted communications network used by criminal gangs in Ireland and around the world as part of a major global operation.

The platform, called Ghost, was used to facilitate a wide range of criminal activities, including large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering, extreme violence and other forms of serious and organized crime.

“Ghost gained popularity among criminal organisations due to its advanced security features. Users could purchase the solution without providing any personal information. The solution used three encryption standards and offered the ability to send a message followed by a specific code that resulted in 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,” a Garda spokesman said.

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Several thousand people worldwide use the tool, which has its own infrastructure and applications as well as a network of resellers in several countries. Around a thousand messages are exchanged via Ghost every day.

In Ireland, An Garda Síochána’s National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau is coordinating the Ghost Platform investigation into four identified organised crime groups and support networks based and operating in Dublin and the Eastern Region that are significantly involved in drug trafficking and money laundering.

On Monday, more than 300 Gardai from a range of local and specialist units carried out 27 searches as part of a coordinated day of action for international law enforcement. RRepresentatives from Europol, the Australian Federal Police and the FBI were also in Ireland to support the ongoing operation.

During these searches, a wide variety of items, including electronics, are confiscated.
* €300,000 in cash
* 2 cryptocurrency keys (contents are being investigated)
* 42 devices suspected of being encrypted with Ghost ECC
* 126 additional mobile devices
* 27 laptops
* Over 200 SIM cards
* 6 Rolex watches
* 1 x 2021 Range Rover Sport

Speaking at Europol headquarters in The Hague, Assistant Commissioner for Organised and Serious Crime Justin Kelly said: “The involvement of the Garda Síochána in this Europol Operational Task Force demonstrates Ireland’s continued commitment and ability to act at an international level against transnational organised crime groups that cause so much harm and suffering not only in Ireland but in countries around the world.”

“Transnational organized crime networks know no borders and respect neither international boundaries nor the rule of law. It takes a network to defeat a network, and today’s announcement is a clear indication of the power of law enforcement networks to undermine and dismantle the activities of these criminal networks.”