Thomas Herdman
Encrypted Phone Crack No Silver Bullet against Balkan Crime Gangs
When a French and Dutch-led police operation cracked the code to Sky ECC in February 2021, investigators gained access to a treasure trove of real-time evidence against a host of international crime gangs.
Thousands of people have been arrested around the world based on the Sky ECC takedown; in the Balkans, Saric is the biggest, but he is far from alone.
Secure Comms: Cracking the Encrypted Messages of Balkan Crime Gangs
Sky ECC described itself as "a global leader in secure messaging technology", helping to keep a host of industries safe from identity theft and hacking. Law enforcement authorities in the United States and Europe, however, say it was created with the sole purpose of facilitating drug trafficking and had become the messaging app of choice for transnational crime organisations.