Australian police have successfully infiltrated an encrypted global communications app called Ghost, which was developed specifically for criminals, resulting in dozens of arrests. The alleged administrator of the app, Jay Je Yoon Jung, was arrested and appeared in a Sydney court on charges related to supporting a criminal organization. Australian police, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies in other countries, arrested 38 suspects in raids across multiple states. It is alleged that hundreds of criminals, including members of various organized crime groups, have used Ghost to import illicit drugs and order killings.
Assistant Commissioner Kirsty Schofield revealed that Australian police had prevented 50 people from being killed, kidnapped, or seriously harmed by monitoring threats among the messages and video calls made through the Ghost app. More arrests are expected to follow both in Australia and internationally, as the investigation continues. It is believed that Jung developed the app for criminal use in 2017, and a global taskforce targeting Ghost was established in 2022 with the involvement of various law enforcement agencies from around the world.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Swedish Police Authority, Dutch National Police, Irish Garda Síochána, and Italian Central Directorate for Anti-Drug Service are among the agencies that are part of the taskforce targeting Ghost, along with assistance from Icelandic police. The collaborative efforts of these agencies have led to the disruption of several criminal operations involved in drug trafficking and other illegal activities. French authorities provided technical resources to the task force, which assisted in decrypting the communication on the Ghost app, ultimately leading to the arrest of Jung.
Australian police were able to access the content on Australian devices by modifying software updates pushed out by the app administrator. This enabled them to intercept communications through the Ghost app and gather evidence for the arrests made. Jung, who allegedly lived in his parents’ home in Sydney and had no prior police record, was arrested at his residence. He used a network of resellers to offer specialized handsets to criminals around the world, with modified smartphones selling for a significant amount that included a subscription to the Ghost app and technical support.
The successful operation to infiltrate the Ghost app highlights the importance of international collaboration in combating criminal networks that operate globally. The joint efforts of the different law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation have led to the disruption of criminal activities and the prevention of harm to individuals. The ongoing investigation is expected to result in more arrests both in Australia and internationally as authorities continue to dismantle criminal networks that have been using the encrypted communications app for illegal activities.
