https://apnews.com/a9916c80e8493c9a26412f45919d7a96

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch and French police cracked an encrypted communications network used by organized crime gangs, allowing them to covertly watch "over the shoulder” of criminals in real time as they planned drug trafficking, arms sales, assassinations and torture, officers announced Thursday.

The massive cross-border probe started in 2017 when French police began investigating phones using the EncroChat secure communication tool and ultimately were able to work around the encryption to gain direct access to users' communications.