Belgian authorities say more than 1,200 people have been convicted in cases launched after investigators hacked the encrypted messaging service Sky ECC, nearly five years after what they describe as the country’s largest police operation.
Convictions were mainly linked to drug trafficking, but also to violence, money laundering, weapons offences and breaches of professional secrecy.
Sky ECC sold secure phones used to exchange encrypted messages. Belgian investigators, working with international partners and Europol, penetrated the network and decrypted communications.
More than one billion messages were then used in judicial investigations, leading to arrests that included lawyers and an employee of the Antwerp prosecutor’s office.
After five years, officials said 470 new cases were opened against Sky ECC users, nearly 5,000 potential suspects were identified, and more than 200 ongoing cases were strengthened. Authorities reported over 224 million euros seized and prison terms totaling 3,684 years.