Dark Secrets: How Encrypted Comms Boosted Organised Crime in the Balkans
Encrypted platforms and secure devices have enabled Balkan crime gangs to coordinate trafficking and manage payments. Although law enforcement has managed to crack several of these communication tools, criminals rapidly switch to new ones.
Controversy at the Montenegro Trial
In October, during the trial of the alleged Radoje Zvicer criminal group in Montenegro, a ballistics expert raised doubts over the use of evidence from the encrypted Sky ECC communication app, which authorities had successfully breached.
Issues with Photo-Based Evidence
The expert testified that he could not confirm the authenticity of weapons depicted in the photos obtained from the Sky ECC app, as he had only examined the images without physical access to the firearms.
“In a 30-year career, I have never been tasked with examining weapons solely based on photographs,”
— Milovan Mihailovic, Ballistics Expert
The defense argued that such evidence, relying exclusively on photos, should be excluded due to its questionable legal reliability and unprecedented nature in Montenegrin courts.
Legal Positions
- The ballistics expert emphasized the lack of physical examination and uncertainty about who took the photos.
- The prosecution asserted that the photos were lawfully obtained and remain valid for use as evidence.
- The court has yet to rule on the admissibility of this photo-based evidence.
Author's summary: Encrypted communications have facilitated Balkan organized crime, but legal challenges arise when courts rely on digital evidence without physical verification, complicating prosecutions.