How law enforcement agencies from nine countries shut down a communications platform used for drug trafficking and money laundering

An international operation with Law enforcement Agencies from 9 different countries have resolved a encrypted communication Platform that has been used by online criminals for organized crime on a global scale.
According to Europol – the European Union law enforcement agency – the platform is known as Spirit and it helped criminals “in drug trafficking on a large scale, Money launderingcases of extreme violence and other forms of serious and organised crime.”

What is Ghost and why have criminals used it?

Ghost is a communications platform that has found favor among criminal organizations due to its advanced security features.
“Users could purchase the tool without revealing personal information. The solution used three encryption standards and offered the ability to send a message followed by a specific code that led to the self-destruction of all messages on the target phone,” Europol said.
According to the agency, this tool enabled criminal networks to “communicate securely, evade detection, counter forensic measures, and coordinate their illegal operations across borders.”
The tool is used by several thousand people worldwide and around a thousand messages are exchanged via Ghost every day, it said.

51 arrests from 4 countries

According to Europol, servers were found in France and Iceland, while the company's owners were in Australia. The assets were in the US. Authorities carried out a series of coordinated raids.
“During the investigation, 51 suspects were arrested: 38 in Australia, 11 in Ireland, one in Canada and one in Italy who belongs to the Italian mafia group Sacra Corona Unita,” it said.
As the investigation progresses, further arrests and the cessation of illegal activities are expected.