![\"cybersecurity\"](\"https:\/\/www.cde.ual.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/jefferson-santos-9SoCnyQmkzI-unsplash-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\nLaw enforcement authorities across Europe and T\u00fcrkiye have dismantled four major criminal networks responsible for fuelling the flow of drugs into the EU and T\u00fcrkiye, following a series of coordinated raids supported by Europol.<\/p>\n
These results were made possible by the continued exploitation of encrypted communication platforms, including Sky ECC and ANOM, which remain powerful tools in the hands of investigators.<\/p>\n
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Unmasking the drug pipelines into Europe<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n On 15 April, coordinated raids took place in several European countries and T\u00fcrkiye, targeting both the leadership and logistical arms of these criminal networks. A total of 232 suspects have been arrested, including High Value Targets who played a pivotal role in drug trafficking and money laundering operations.<\/p>\n Investigations spanned multiple jurisdictions, with authorities in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain joining forces with Europol to disrupt the networks operating across the European continent.<\/p>\n Over the course of the investigations, over EUR 300 million worth of assets were seized in T\u00fcrkiye and Europe, including 681 properties and 127 vehicles.<\/p>\n These criminal organisations \u2013 each operating independently but collectively wielding immense power \u2013 had established themselves as dominant players in the European drug trade.<\/p>\n Using both traditional smuggling routes and sophisticated logistics, the groups were linked to the seizure of at least 21 tonnes of drugs in Europe and T\u00fcrkiye, including 3.3 million MDMA tablets. Investigators also exposed the groups’ involvement in money laundering, violent crime and a wider network of organised criminal activity.<\/p>\n Cracking the criminal cloud with SKY intelligence<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Known as Operation BULUT (\u2018cloud\u2019 in Turkish), this data-driven operation was built on intelligence extracted from the SkyECC and ANOM platforms.<\/p>\n As part of the operational framework, French authorities shared decrypted SkyECC data with T\u00fcrkiye to support the development of local investigations into the country\u2019s most prominent organised crime suspects. As part of the ongoing judicial cooperation related to SKY ECC data, the French JUNALCO Public Prosecutor\u2019s Office handles all requests for international mutual legal assistance requests sent by interested countries. ANOM intelligence was provided to the Turkish authorities by the Australian Federal Police, further enriching the intelligence picture.<\/p>\n This cooperation facilitated the deployment of Turkish National Police officers to Europol\u2019s headquarters, where they worked side by side with European investigators supported by Europol to analyse the encrypted communications and identify criminal networks operating in T\u00fcrkiye.<\/p>\n The resulting intelligence led to the first wave of arrests in T\u00fcrkiye, targeting key figures at the top of the drug trafficking hierarchy. As the investigation revealed substantial links to organised crime across the EU, the operation entered a second phase \u2013 coordinated by Europol \u2013 bringing together law enforcement authorities from several Member States to disrupt the networks\u2019 activities on European soil.<\/p>\n