Australian police arrested 39 people today, including the creator of the encrypted communication app Ghost, which is used by criminal networks in several countries, in an international operation.
In addition to the oceanic country, searches were also carried out as part of this operation in Canada, Ireland, Italy and Sweden, the Australian Federal Police said in a statement.
The alleged creator and administrator of Ghost, Jay Je Yoon Jung, 32, was arrested at a residence in Sydney (southeast) and appeared in court today where he was charged with five crimes, including supporting a criminal organization and benefiting from criminal proceeds.
Jung did not enter any appeal or request to be released on bail, so he will remain in pre-trial detention until the case returns to court in November.
According to the police investigation, the defendant created Ghost in 2017 and has since sold the app "to criminals around the world", including organized crime groups in Italy, South Korea and the Middle East.
The app, which is installed on mobile phones and costs AU$2,350 (€1,430) to subscribe to every six months, has been used for crimes such as drug trafficking, money laundering, contract killings and threats of violence, police said.
“In the last two days, around 700 members of the Federal Police have executed search warrants in four states” to arrest Ghost users, said Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney.
Police estimate that in Australia alone, there are currently more than 375 mobile phones using the app.
McCartney said technicians from the French Home Affairs Ministry’s National Cyber Command “provided a gateway” for Australian police to infiltrate Ghost communications and intervene in 50 threat crimes.
The authorities, who also seized 205 kilos of drugs, 25 firearms and 1.2 million Australian dollars (730 million euros) in the operation, expect to make more arrests in the coming days.
Europol Director Catherine De Bolle also highlighted the success of the operation, which involved security forces from nine countries.
"Today we have made it clear that, however hidden the criminal networks created, they cannot escape our collective efforts," De Bolle noted.
No comments:
Post a Comment