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Dutch Police Seize Encrypted Communication Network With 19,000 Users (reuters.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Dutch police have seized and shut down Ennetcom, an encrypted communications network with 19,000 users, according to Reuters. The network's 36-year-old owner, Danny Manupassa, has also been arrested, and faces charges of money laundering and illegal weapons possession, while the information obtained in the seizure may also be used for other criminal prosecutions. "Police and prosecutors believe that they have captured the largest encrypted network used by organized crime in the Netherlands," prosecutors said in a statement.
"Although using encrypted communications is legal," Reuters reports, "many of the network's users are believed to have been engaged in 'serious criminal activity,' said spokesman Wim de Bruin of the national prosecutor's office, which noted that the company's modified phones have repeatedly turned up in cases involving drugs, criminal motorcycle gangs, and gangland killings.
A spokesman for the National Prosecutor's office "declined to comment on whether and how police would be able to decrypt information kept on the servers."
"Although using encrypted communications is legal," Reuters reports, "many of the network's users are believed to have been engaged in 'serious criminal activity,' said spokesman Wim de Bruin of the national prosecutor's office, which noted that the company's modified phones have repeatedly turned up in cases involving drugs, criminal motorcycle gangs, and gangland killings.
A spokesman for the National Prosecutor's office "declined to comment on whether and how police would be able to decrypt information kept on the servers."
Actually Dutch motorcycle gangs aren't funny, or even very nice:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
The Hells Angels control much of the drug trade in the Netherlands, and are also involved in prostitution.[6]
The first statement is suspicious because the Netherlands has thousands of people involved in drugs and even more in prostitution, and it's unlikely one bike gang would be so prominent. Checking the references, that statement simply comes from a reporter for a low-circulation newspaper (which I've never heard of, and I lived there). The Hells Angles aren't as influential or powerful as the article claims.
(||) Nehmo (||)
Hells Angels is a major player in drugs and prostitution through out western Europe, they have competition yes (another bike gang, Bandidos is among them) since no once ever have 100% of a market as big as this but they are major players. Remember that we are not talking about the selling to end customers here, that is handled by the thousands of low life people that you refer to, we are talking about the smuggling and human trafficking part of it. There are not thousands of people in the Netherlands that smuggle huge amounts of cocain over the borders.