605 EncroChat cases at Berlin prosecutor's office
Berlin's prosecutor's office has conducted a total of 605 proceedings related to the encrypted service EncroChat since 2020. 88 of these remain open.
EncroChat balance sheet: Berlin conducted 605 criminal proceedings against organised crime
Berlin's prosecutor's office has initiated a total of 605 proceedings related to the encrypted communication service EncroChat since 2020. This is reported by WELT based on exclusively available authority figures as of 12 June 2025.
The proceedings are distributed across several years, with roughly one third falling in 2022 alone. The focus of investigations lay on drug trafficking, money laundering and armed gang crime.
According to the figures, 240 proceedings were concluded by charges before large criminal chambers, magistrates' courts or criminal judges. In 117 cases, proceedings were discontinued, predominantly due to insufficient grounds for suspicion. Currently, 88 proceedings are ongoing – 85 of these still under consideration by the prosecutor's office, three with the investigative authorities.
The prosecutor's office points out that the statistics capture only individual proceedings, not so-called investigation complexes. One proceeding can encompass multiple defendants and allegations. Furthermore, in the course of proceedings were joined or separated, which can explain statistical discrepancies compared to figures from the Federal Criminal Police Office.
EncroChat was regarded for years as the preferred means of communication for criminal networks. In spring 2020, European investigators penetrated the network and secured millions of chat protocols. The evaluation of this data has since formed the basis for hundreds of proceedings throughout Europe – including numerous ones in Berlin.
Source: WELT