Encrypted apps revealed drug network linked to AEK supporters – 20+ arrests
More than 20 people have been arrested in a major police operation following the compromise of EncroChat and Sky ECC. Many of the accused are organised supporters of AEK.
Drug network with AEK supporters: how encrypted apps led to arrests
The breaking of encrypted applications EncroChat and Sky ECC proved to be the key to uncovering an extensive drug trafficking network involving AEK supporters. According to gazzetta.gr, the police operation that was carried out resulted in the arrest of more than 20 people, who formed five interconnected criminal groups. The details of the case were brought to light by the newspaper Kathimerini and journalist Giannis Souliotis.
The technology behind the network
All those prosecuted communicated exclusively via EncroChat and Sky ECC — applications that allowed the exchange of encrypted messages with self-destruction after sending. Specially modified mobile devices required a secret PIN, while the cost of acquisition amounted to €1,000 per device. An additional monthly subscription of €1,500 was paid for the use of the applications.
In 2020-2021, Europol, in cooperation with the authorities of France, Belgium and the Netherlands, managed to breach both applications and distribute the corresponding communication files to EU member states. Part of this material reached the Narcotics Prosecution Sub-Directorate, which had persistently requested its receipt and processing.
70 trafficking cases in one year
The police operation was the culmination of a multi-month — possibly multi-year — investigation. A total of 70 drug trafficking cases were solved for the period from March 2020 to March 2021. Those involved are said to have imported mainly Skunk-type cannabis and secondarily cocaine into Albania and Greece, concealed in lorries that transported legitimate goods from Spain.
One of those involved, a lorry driver, was arrested in May 2020 at an Italian port while transporting 140 kilogrammes of raw cannabis to Greece. The illegal proceeds were legitimised mainly through car rental companies in central Athens and on Mykonos, as well as through the purchase of winning lottery tickets.
Serious past for the main accused
Significant responsibility in the network is attributed to a 36-year-old Greek, who remains in Bordeaux, France, under a ban from leaving the country due to his involvement in the trafficking of 1.5 tonnes of cocaine in Mimizan in southern France in July 2017. According to lawandorder.gr, he had been arrested for robbery in Kypseli on 29 March 2011, whilst in December of the same year a case file was formed against him for robberies targeting supporters of rival teams. Along with others, moving by motorcycles in various areas of Attica after football matches, they beat supporters of rival teams, taking their money, mobile phones and motorcycles.
On 19 October 2015 he was arrested in Agia Paraskevi for violating weapons legislation. On 14 February 2016, during incidents between AEK and Atromitos supporters within the stadium in Peristeri, he stabbed an Atromitos supporter in the abdomen.
Links to supporter violence and criminal background
Many of those prosecuted are organised AEK supporters with a history of involvement in violent incidents, including the events of May 2017 at the Panthessaliko Stadium in Volos, on the sidelines of the Cup final PAOK–AEK. The alleged network leader also faces charges for attempted murder of an Albanian national in February 2021, according to the Hellenic Police.
Indicative of the seriousness of the case is the fate of a 29-year-old Albanian who was under investigation: he was murdered in his home country by a car bomb explosion before the investigation by the Greek authorities was completed.
Source: gazzetta.gr