- The Australian Federal Police has seized $6 million in cryptocurrency linked to the leader of a criminal syndicate behind an encrypted app, Ghost
- The operation follows the arrest of the alleged mastermind, who was charged two weeks ago for administering the app, used by criminals for drug trafficking and violence
- Operation Kraken continues to dismantle organized crime networks using advanced encryption technology
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has made a major breakthrough in the fight against organized crime, seizing $6 million in cryptocurrency linked to a man allegedly running the Ghost encrypted app. This comes just two weeks after the 32-year-old was charged for his role in creating and administering the platform, which facilitated illicit activities such as drug trafficking and violent threats. The app has been under investigation since 2022, with international cooperation playing a pivotal role in infiltrating the network.
Ghost App Helped Criminal Underworld
The Ghost app is an encrypted communication platform used by criminal syndicates to coordinate illegal activities, such as drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and violence. Designed to shield its users from law enforcement detection, the app provided secure messaging features that allowed criminals to operate covertly.
Ghost’s use of encryption made it difficult for authorities to intercept communications, leading to its popularity among organized crime networks. However, ongoing investigations have managed to infiltrate the app, leading to multiple arrests and asset seizures worldwide.
The crackdown on Ghost involved collaboration with law enforcement agencies worldwide, including Europol and the FBI. The international task force led to arrests across multiple countries, with Ghost being the latest in a series of encrypted apps taken down.
Seed Phrase Recovered
As part of Operation Kraken, AFP investigators confirmed that $6 million in cryptocurrency was seized, adding to previous seizures from the criminal syndicate. The AFP used advanced investigative techniques to recover a seed phrase from the leader’s electronic devices, which provided access to the digital wallets where the cryptocurrency was stored.
The AFP’s Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT), which specializes in recovering hidden criminal assets, led the operation, marking a significant step in dismantling the financial structures behind organized crime activities linked to the Ghost app.
With over 50 offenders already facing serious charges, the AFP says that Operation Kraken is far from over; authorities expect more arrests as they continue investigating the Ghost platform’s operations across Australia and globally.
