A money laundering operation discovered in the EncroChat hack has been dismantled as police seized £500,000 in cash alongside high value watches.
Detectives from Merseyside Police's Economic Crime Team and the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) conducted raids across Allerton, Norris Green and Walton yesterday and arrested a 41-year-old man on suspicion of conspiracy to launder money.
The suspect remains in custody where he is being questioned by detectives. Pictures released by the force show a number of watches wrapped in kitchen roll while other images show a large stack of cash concealed in a tarpaulin.
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A BB gun was also recovered in the raids. Detective Sergeant Rob Brown said: "This arrest forms part of a long-running investigation into money laundering via suspected use of ‘EncroChat’ devices. The man will now be questioned and our investigation continues, working alongside our colleagues in the NWROCU and under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).
"We will do everything in our powers under POCA to thoroughly investigate and recover the benefit those we suspect of illegal activity. We want to claim back the money and lifestyle that was never rightfully theirs and where we can, reinvest this in those communities who feel the harm of criminal activity."
Merseyside Police have said around 800 Encrochat accounts or 'handles' were discovered to be operating in the Merseyside area after the encrypted network was hacked by the French authorities in 2020.
Detective Chief Superintendent Lee Turner, head of intelligence at the force, said only around 200 of those handles have been matched to their users so far and detectives continue to work through the enormous cache of evidence generated from Encrochat servers.
If you have any information on suspected money laundering, contact Merseyside Police via @MerPolCC or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 and we will take action.
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