Op Venetic: Two men arrested on suspicion of supplying kilo amounts of drugs

A 25-year-old man was arrested at a property on Desford Green in Middlesbrough and a 40-year-old man was arrested at a house on Allington Rise in Basingstoke.

The pair were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A, class B and class C drugs in the Teesside area.

It comes following a long-term investigation by detectives from Cleveland Police’s Dedicated Drugs Unit who worked alongside partners in Hampshire to execute the arrests on Tuesday 18 February.

Both men are believed to be under investigation as part of the international takedown of a bespoke encrypted global communication service used exclusively by criminals known as EncroChat and investigated under Operation Venetic.

EncroChat was one of the largest providers of encrypted communications and offered a secure mobile phone instant messaging service, but an international law enforcement team cracked the company’s encryption.

Following interviews, both men have been released on conditional bail while the investigation continues.

If you suspect individuals are involved in serious and organised crime, please report it to Cleveland Police by dialling 101 or visiting the website.

Information can also be provided anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.