Suspects implicated in a huge drug bust in which 800kg of cocaine was found in a boat being towed on a Gauteng freeway used encrypted devices — which are used by criminal syndicates abroad — to communicate.
This was revealed by an investigating officer during the ongoing bail application of five of the suspects, charged with allegedly dealing in drugs worth R400m, in the Pretoria magistrate’s court.
This type of modified cellphone-based app is widely used by syndicates abroad, allowing users to send messages and photos with end-to-end encryption, according to theNiel Pieter van Zyl, 38, Michael Norman, Rashied Baderoen, 48, Rafiek Baderoen, 44, and Jaco de Kock, 48, continued their bail application on Tuesday. They told the court they intend to plead not guilty. Co-accused Valdas Tenikaitis earlier indicated he would abandon his bid for bail.
“All accused but accused two [Tenikaitis] had the devices. They also avoided meeting each other in person. They were identified through GPS locations and surveillance,” said the investigating officer.“These devices can only be used by people participating in criminal activities. The device comes with a username where identity is not exposed. The device automatically deletes the message to a third party.”The devices can only be used by people participating in criminal activities.
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