Fourteen high spec cars with a combined worth of up to £750k have been seized in a joint operation between police and the National Crime Agency.
A 33-year-old man was also arrested on Monday, March 1, during searches in the Newry area as part of Operation Venetic, which aims to fight serious and organised crime.
Entire criminal gangs have been dismantled during the UK-wide Operation Venetic with 746 arrests, and £54m criminal cash, 77 firearms and over two tonnes of drugs seized up to July 2020.
EncroChat was one of the largest providers of encrypted communications and offered a secure mobile phone instant messaging service, but an international law enforcement team cracked the company’s encryption allowing law enforcement teams to disrupt the planning and distribution of illicit commodities, money laundering and plotting to kill rival criminals.
The EncroChat servers have now been shut down.
PSNI Detective Inspector Craig McCamley said of this latest sting: “Detectives from Criminal Investigations Branch continue to play their part in the UK's biggest law enforcement operation against serious and organised criminality. As part of this, officers carried out a search of three properties in the Newry area.
“As well as a number of vehicles and other items seized during the operation, a 33-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in an offer to supply class A controlled drugs, being concerned in an offer to supply class B controlled drugs, conspiracy to import class B controlled drugs and entering into an arrangement to acquire criminal property. He is currently in police custody at this time.
“This is an example of our ongoing commitment to bring those involved in criminal activity to justice. Working alongside our partner agencies, we will continue to disrupt the movements and activities of Organised Crime Gangs. We recognise the harm caused in our communities as a result of organised crime and we will continue to keep people safe from this activity.
“Anyone with information about any criminality should contact police on 101 or anonymously through the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111, which gives people the power to speak up and stop crime and help us keep your community safe. You can also submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/
Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/
