Encrypted phone network hack allowed Police to seize £120 million of drugs hidden in bananas

Organised Crime Partnership (OCS) special agents have seized almost £120million of drugs after multiple raids in suspected neighborhoods during the last six months. OCS is a sort of collaboration between Police Scotland and the National Crime Agency (NCA), which has been working on combating organised crime even before its inception. 

The agents got 1,422kg of drugs since April compared to a total 25kg during 2019. OCP officers also recovered 12 firearms as an attempt to prevent further bloodshed between organized crime gangs. The haul (including an estimated £110million of cocaine, £750,000 of cannabis and £50,000 of heroin) was seized between April and October 2020.

Trough a statement the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) revealed MDMA, ketamine, kratom and drug mushrooms were also recovered during these operations. NCA Regional Head of Investigations Gerry McLean said: “Organised crime gangs involved in drugs and illegal gun sale are just related with violence, fear and exploitation acts to our streets. “We will keep working to disrupt their operations through the collaboration of the NCA and Police Scotland”, McLean concluded.

“The Scottish public will be safer after these works”, mentioned a Police Scotland statement.  The operation came after authorities hacked the EncroChat encrypted phone platform used by drug gangs. A one-tonne cocaine stash destined for Scotland was found hidden in a banana cargo on a ship in Dover, Kent, in September. A 64-year-old fruit and vegetables businessman was arrested and then released under investigation: “The EncroChat hack was a game-changing factor to complete the investigation”, an anonymous source said.

The OCP has been officially active since 2018 and established at the Scottish Crime Campus in Gartcosh, Lanarkshire.