Drugs worth €16 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.

An Garda Siochana said that in connection with the Ghost case, it was investigating four organised crime gangs in Ireland that were “significantly involved” in drug trafficking and money laundering.

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 press conference on Wednesday at Europol headquarters in The Hague, Deputy Commissioner Justin Kelly said the second highest number of devices using the Ghost tool were in Ireland.

This affected around 100 devices in Ireland, or 8.3% of all active devices using the Ghost tool.

While he declined to confirm that the Kinahan crime organisation is among the gangs using the Ghost tool, he said there are “extremely high-value targets” that use it.

At a press conference in Dublin, Detective Chief Superintendent Seamus Boland said the Kinahan crime gang was “no longer the main organised crime gang in this jurisdiction”.

“Our organised crime landscape is much more fragmented at this stage and although we would have considered some of the groups targeted – of the four groups targeted in this particular phase of the operation – as organised crime-linked gangs in the past, they are operating on their own.

“But the most important organized crime group operating in this jurisdiction in connection with the cocaine and heroin trafficking was the target of this investigation.”

Mr Kelly said the Irish investigation also included a “significant” crypto element. Crypto is a known method used by organised crime gangs to transfer proceeds.

Mr Boland said there were also several “moderators” of the Ghost network based in Ireland.

“They are Irish citizens, they are known to law enforcement and they have helped the global network ensure that this device is available to Irish criminals and basically looked for more customers.”

Mr Boland said further action would be taken due to the infiltration of the Ghost system.

“We are addressing the decision-makers and the people who enable and facilitate this for them.

“Yes, we have to balance that and make sure we recognise what targets we actually want to pursue. I can assure you that they will be very valuable targets and if we are successful in prosecuting them, that will be obvious to everyone.

“If you are using one of these devices, you are involved in organized crime at the highest level. You are definitely a target of our investigations.”

“We are absolutely determined to pursue you and will make every effort to gather enough evidence so that at some point we can show up at your door, arrest you and hopefully prosecute you and bring you to justice.”

Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said on Wednesday: “Today we have made it clear that criminal networks, no matter how hidden they may be, 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.”