International investigators today cracked another service for exchanging encrypted messages - MATRIX, which was used by criminals to negotiate criminal acts.
This was announced by Europol, stating that it was done by a joint investigation team (JIT) that includes French and Dutch authorities.
Before breaking that crypto application, they spent three months reading the messages of possible criminals, which will now be used to support other investigations.
"During a coordinated operation supported by Eurojust and Europol, the Dutch and French authorities shut down the messaging service, and their counterparts from Italy, Lithuania and Spain carried out follow-up actions," Europol said.
They point out that MATRIX, a messaging service built by criminals for criminals, was first discovered by Dutch authorities on the phone of a criminal convicted of murdering Dutch journalist Peter R. de Fries in 2021. An extensive investigation into the messaging service was subsequently launched.
"It soon became clear that the infrastructure of this platform was technically more complex than previous platforms such as Sky ECC and EncroChat. The founders were convinced that the service was superior and safer than previous applications used by criminals. Users could only join the service if they received an invitation. The infrastructure for running MATRIX consisted of more than 6 servers in several countries with important servers in France and Germany," the European Union Law Enforcement Agency explains.
They point out that the cooperation between the Dutch and French authorities started through the JIT established at Eurojust.
"Using innovative technology, authorities were able to intercept the messaging service and monitor activity on the service for three months. During the investigation, more than 2,3 million messages in 33 languages were intercepted and decrypted. The intercepted messages are linked to serious criminal charges acts such as international trafficking in drugs, arms and money laundering".
The action was carried out today in four states.
"In France, one suspect was arrested and his house was searched. In Spain, two suspects were arrested on a European arrest warrant from the Netherlands and six houses were searched. In Lithuania, six houses were searched. The main servers in France and Germany were removed. Criminals who use the messaging service are alerted to interception by the authorities via the splash page. Through legal requirements, the authorities will now be able to access the messages for their investigations," said Europol.
They point out that the cross-border MATRIX investigation is a clear example of the importance of international cooperation in the fight against serious organized crime.
"Working together in the JIT, the Dutch and French authorities were able to quickly exchange information and evidence and carry out joint actions. In order to support investigations into illegal activities enabled by this communication platform, in June 2024 the Operational Unit was established at Europol task force (OTF) between the Netherlands, France, Italy and Spain.This task force has played a key role in monitoring criminal activities on the platform.Europol's OTF will also provide assistance in independent follow-up investigations arising from the intelligence gathered during the live phase of the operation. The German authorities have supported the operation with their technical expertise. The Spanish authorities have been cooperating with their French and Dutch counterparts since the early stages of the investigation."
The action involved the French JUNALCO - National Jurisdiction against Organized Crime and the OFAC National Police Cybercrime Division, the Dutch High-Tech Crime Team of National Investigations, the Special Operations Unit of the Dutch Police and the National Office of the Public Prosecutor there, then the Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor in Frankfurt on Maini, the German Federal Criminal Police and their Division for Serious and Organized Crime, but also the Italian National Anti-Mafia Directorate (DNA) and the Central Directorate for Services of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DCSA), as well as the Lithuanian Office of the Chief Prosecutor and the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau, but also the Spanish Central Investigative Court 6 and 1 Audiencia Nacional, then the Investigative Court 5 in Marbella and the Spanish National Police.
Spanish authorities have been cooperating with their French and Dutch counterparts since the start of the investigation, and during today's operation in that country, €145.000 in cash and €500.000 in cryptocurrencies were seized, as well as four cars and more than 970 phones.
An order was issued for the temporary seizure of a villa in Spain with an estimated value of 15 million euros.
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