Ex-police officer caught in major European drug ring investigation
Greek authorities detained an ex-narcotics officer who helped cocaine traffickers by sharing secret info. The arrest came after a multi-country probe into encrypted messaging platforms used by criminals
A 42-year old ex-narcotics officer from Greece got caught helping drug-traffickers‚ leading to his arrest this month (along with two other suspects in this high-profile case)
The former law-enforcement agent – who worked in the anti-drug unit – received monthly pay-offs from criminals to leak sensitive info about on-going investigations; witnesses pointed out his fancy way of life. The ex-cop helped smugglers move cocaine and cannabis across borders
The break-through came after a months-long multi-country operation: French authorities and Europol shared key-data about encrypted chats on Sky ECC platform which drug-dealers used. The investigation also showed links to another shut-down platform EncroChat; both services were popular with crime groups
The charges against the three detained people include:
* setting-up criminal organizations
* drug trafficking
* taking bribes from criminals
Two more police officers might be connected to this crime ring – investigators are now checking their possible involvement in helping these drug-dealers. The case shows how deep-rooted some criminal networks can be‚ even reaching into law-enforcement itself
