Europol announced today, June 27, 2023, that the takedown of EncroChat in July 2020 has led to 6,558 arrests, the seizure of $979 million in illicit funds, and 7,134 years of sentenced imprisonments. EncroChat phones offered a means of communicating securely, using a hardened version of Android that assured users unbreakable encryption, anonymity, and no traceability. The platform was valued by criminals, most of whom were either members of organized crime (34.8%) or involved in drug trafficking (33.3%). Another 14% engaged in money laundering, 11.5% in murders, and 6.4% in firearms trafficking. Beyond the confidentiality it advertised, EncroChat offered message self-destruction features, panic device wipe, tamper-proof booting, and a brute force resistant FIPS 140-2 certified hardware cryptographic engine. The combined features that provided secure communication were valued by criminals of the sort who used the platform for their nefarious pursuits. Users paid $1,635 for a six-month subscription with global coverage and 24/7 support, or $1,090 for a one-time payment to obtain an EncroChat phone that was remotely erasable. Back in 2020, Europol was able to break EncroChat’s encryption algorithm, effectively gaining access to millions of messages shared between users. Europol analyzed the data of 115 million conversations between almost 60,000 users, using their findings to coordinate efforts with local law enforcement agencies and police units. This led to the seizure of two hundred seventy (270) tons of drugs, nine hundred seventy-one (971) vehicles, two hundred seventy-one (271) properties, nine hundred twenty-three (923) weapons, sixty-eight (68) explosives, forty (40) planes, and eighty-three (83) boats. Law enforcement agents were also able to seize $807 million in cash while freezing another $168 million, and arrested 6,558 EncroChat users, one hundred ninety-seven (197) of which were high-value targets.