In Luton, a chilling video captured a gunman shooting at a family’s front door while a distressed woman dialed emergency services, pleading for help and mentioning her children inside the house. This incident, recorded on a Ring doorbell, was a key part of the UK’s largest organized crime investigation, initiated after authorities hacked into an encrypted phone network utilized by criminals. The footage shows a masked individual approaching the property, retrieving a double-barrelled shotgun from a backpack, and firing at the entrance.
During the attack, one of the victims contacted the police, struggling to communicate in English, informing them about the shooting and the presence of seven individuals, including children, inside the residence. She instructed the kids to stay away from the door while law enforcement dispatched armed officers to the scene.
The video is featured in the latest installment of the TV series “24 Hours in Police Custody,” titled “The Secret Network,” which documents Bedfordshire Police’s efforts to dismantle an underworld communication system known as EncroChat. This operation was based on substantial evidence obtained following a successful hack by French and Dutch law enforcement agencies in 2020.
The program showcases detectives covertly monitoring criminals discussing illicit activities such as gun and drug transactions. One investigation linked Ethan Mitchell, a dealer, to the weapon used in the door shooting. Although Mitchell was acquitted of supplying the firearm, he received a nine-year jail sentence for drug-related offenses and possession of criminal proceeds.
Mitchell’s arrest was part of Operation Costello, Bedfordshire Police’s contribution to the wider national probe known as Operation Venetic targeting the EncroChat network. The operation unveiled the hidden identities of criminals using code names on the platform, with Detective Superintendent Julie Henderson describing them as elusive figures resembling “ghosts.”
The police successfully identified individuals like Kamran Bashir, Blazej Holub, and Ibraz Iqbal through their aliases on the network, connecting them to drug trafficking activities. Bashir was apprehended at his workplace with EncroChat devices and cocaine, leading to the seizure of a significant amount of cash at his car and home. Iqbal was also arrested on the same day as Bashir, with cash seized from a business establishment used for drug deliveries. Holub, identified as the supplier via EncroChat messages, was arrested upon his return to Luton Airport.
Subsequent investigations and arrests resulted in lengthy prison terms for several criminals involved in the network, including kingpins and corrupt officials. The crackdown led to the prevention of over 200 planned gang-related murders, seizure of illegal cash amounting to £54 million, confiscation of two tons of drugs, and numerous firearms, including machine guns.
Notorious drug dealer Jordan Talbot, operating under the alias “Littlenev” on EncroChat, received a substantial prison sentence after exchanging incriminating messages. Other individuals like Gary Mitchell and Carl Stewart were also convicted due to evidence obtained from their activities on the network. Additionally, businessman Steven Strachan was exposed as a drug dealer and sentenced to prison.
The television program “24 Hours in Police Custody” will air the episode “The Secret Network” on Channel 4 at 9 pm on Tuesday.