The European police hacked another "secure" messaging and phone app and arrested 42 criminals.
According to a statement from the Dutch police, Europol arrested 42 suspects and seized weapons, drugs and millions in cash, after another encrypted online messaging service used by criminals to collude with each other was breached.
Police raided 79 facilities in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands after an investigation that began in September 2020 led to the bust encryptionof the service Exclude Messenger.
Exclu is the latest encrypted online chat service to be unlocked by law enforcement. In 2021 researchers broke into the Sky E.C.C. – another “secure” application used by criminal gangs.
After police and prosecutors broke into Exclu's encrypted communications system, they were able to read for five months before the raids the messages that the criminals exchanged with each other.
Those arrested include users of the app, as well as its owners and controllers, states in their announcement. The strange thing is that Exclu's page is still online and continues to advertise its product for 900 euros per semester.
The police of France, Italy, Sweden, as well as Europol and Eurojust were also involved in the investigation.
Police raids uncovered at least two drug labs, a cocaine processing facility, several kilograms of drugs, four million euros ($4,3 million) in cash, luxury goods and weapons.
