Overview

• Channel 4’s four-part documentary ‘Operation Dark Phone: Murder by Text’ began airing July 27 to reveal the inside story of Operation Venetic’s EncroChat infiltration.
• French law enforcement implanted a covert exploit on EncroChat servers in January 2020, giving the NCA and Dutch partners unprecedented access to encrypted communications.
• Investigators deciphered millions of messages to identify suspects, triage threats and avert about 200 planned killings.
• Operation Venetic triggered more than 2,200 convictions and netted seizures of nearly 8,000 kg of cocaine, 486 kg of heroin, 2,170 kg of cannabis, 175 firearms and £83 million in illicit cash.
• Courts across Europe have consistently upheld the admissibility of data obtained through the EncroChat hack despite extensive legal challenges.