Belgium holds drug mega-trial after covert apps cracked

Van Tigchelt said 1,000 criminal convictions have already been secured in cases resulting from evidence from the encrypted apps. — AFP

BRUSSELS: Belgium on Dec 18 starts one of the biggest drug trafficking trials in its history, with over 120 defendants in the dock thanks in large part to investigators cracking encrypted messaging apps.

Suspects from Belgium, Albania, Colombia and North Africa accused of involvement in a vast criminal operation face justice at the hearings in a high-security courtroom in the former headquarters of military alliance NATO in Brussels.