European police forces have succeeded in decrypting another message that was primarily used by criminals. Numerous arrests have now occurred across many nations as a result of this success. According to Dutch officials, the probes into the messenger known as “Exclu” started in the fall of 2020, according to the AFP news agency. The entire platform has been shut down in the interim, and numerous users are the subject of probes. For instance, there were 79 searches in Germany, Holland, and Belgium.
Prior to this, the investigators monitored conversations on the site for more than five months. They also did a full-scale assessment of the word exchange between all parties. Of course, it was also crucial to figure out who was sending the messages. Along with the governments of the above nations, officials from France, Italy, Sweden, and Europol were also involved.
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The raids resulted in the seizure of at least two drug labs, a plant that processes cocaine, several kilograms of drugs, four million euros in cash, designer items, and guns, according to the Dutch police. 42 people have been detained as of this writing, including both users and IM server admins. How many convictions this will result in is still unknown.
Exclu works like a regular chat messenger. It allows its users to talk to others via chat messages, videos, notes, images, and voice memos. But everything needs to be heavily shielded from outside observers. A license for six months costs 800 euros, so it wasn’t cheap. However, 3,000 people used the platform to connect with potential business partners, and 750 of them alone most likely emanate in the Netherlands.
Europol is still on top of this issue at the moment and many people will likely go down for it. The messages have links to many top crime syndicates and large bursts will be made in the coming weeks.
