Catching The Kingpins [Gangster]

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

Catching The Kingpins: 4. Who Built Encrochat?

20240107

20240128 (R4)

Little is known about who invented the EncroChat network and who owned it. Even the police who investigated the criminals using the network, know little about who's behind it.

Journalists David James Smith and Joseph Cox explain what their investigations into the company reveal.

Plus, why an expert in cryptography thinks the whole EncroChat operation could fall apart on a legal technicality.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar

Series Producer: Andrew Hosken

Editor and Executive Producer: Innes Bowen

Catching the Kingpins is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.

The mysterious origins of the EncroChat encrypted phone network.

How police took down criminal kingpins by hacking the EncroChat encrypted phone network.

Catching The Kingpins: 1. The Hack

20240107

Police across Europe prepare for a top-secret operation: the hacking of EncroChat, an encrypted phone network favoured by organised crime groups.

EncroChat's server has been discovered in northern France. The French police are planning to secretly inject some code into the users' next software update. If it works, police could be reading the criminals' messages for weeks.

At the Metropolitan Police in London, DCI Driss Hayoukane is summoned to a confidential meeting where he hears about the plan. He realises this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and decides to put his retirement on hold.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar

Series Producer: Andrew Hosken

Editor and Executive Producer: Innes Bowen

Catching the Kingpins is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.

Police prepare for a top-secret operation: hacking a phone network favoured by criminals.

How police took down criminal kingpins by hacking the EncroChat encrypted phone network.

Police prepare for a top-secret operation: the hacking of EncroChat, an encrypted phone network favoured by organised crime.

Catching The Kingpins: 2. Threat To Life

20240107

20240114 (R4)

It's April 2020, and the Metropolitan Police are overwhelmed with messages hacked from the EncroChat network.

Buried among the millions of texts and photographs, are the outlines of a murder plot. An anonymous EncroChat user is trying to source a gun and some ammunition for a drive by shooting.

Will the police discover the messages before it's too late? And will they be willing to risk the secrecy of the entire EncroChat operation by arresting someone on EncroChat evidence alone?

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar

Series Producer: Andrew Hosken

Editor and Executive Producer: Innes Bowen

Catching the Kingpins is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.

A murder plot. A London gun dealer. A Cardiff career criminal.

How police took down criminal kingpins by hacking the EncroChat encrypted phone network.

A murder is being planned with a gun bought via the EncroChat encrypted phone network. Will the police uncover the plot in time?

Catching The Kingpins: 2. Threat To Life

20240114

It's April 2020, and the Metropolitan Police are overwhelmed with messages hacked from the EncroChat network.

Buried among the millions of texts and photographs, are the outlines of a murder plot. An anonymous EncroChat user is trying to source a gun and some ammunition for a drive by shooting.

Will the police discover the messages before it's too late? And will they be willing to risk the secrecy of the entire EncroChat operation by arresting someone on EncroChat evidence alone?

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar

Series Producer: Andrew Hosken

Editor and Executive Producer: Innes Bowen

Catching the Kingpins is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.

A murder plot. A London gun dealer. A Cardiff career criminal.

How police took down criminal kingpins by hacking the EncroChat encrypted phone network.

A murder is being planned with a gun bought via the EncroChat encrypted phone network. Will the police uncover the plot in time?

Catching The Kingpins: 3. In Suburbia

20240121

In the wealthy village of Denham in Buckinghamshire, Lee Hannigan and Harry Hicks-Samuels play the part of successful businessmen really well. Hannigan has a car garage, a mansion with a Ferrari on the drive and a place in Dubai. Hicks-Samuels is only 27 but has a watch business and flat in a luxury development.

But the secrets of where their money really comes from are on their EncroChat phones.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar

Series Producer: Andrew Hosken

Editor and Executive Producer: Innes Bowen

Catching the Kingpins is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.

Ordinary suburban criminals next door.

How police took down criminal kingpins by hacking the EncroChat encrypted phone network.

Golf clubs, Ferraris, and the truth about how two Buckinghamshire businessmen really earned their fortunes.

Catching The Kingpins: 4. Who Built Encrochat?

20240107

20240128 (R4)

Little is known about who invented the EncroChat network and who owned it. Even the police who investigated the criminals using the network, know little about who's behind it.

Journalists David James Smith and Joseph Cox explain what their investigations into the company reveal.

Plus, why an expert in cryptography thinks the whole EncroChat operation could fall apart on a legal technicality.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar

Series Producer: Andrew Hosken

Editor and Executive Producer: Innes Bowen

Catching the Kingpins is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.

The mysterious origins of the EncroChat encrypted phone network.

How police took down criminal kingpins by hacking the EncroChat encrypted phone network.

Catching The Kingpins: 5. Line Of Duty

20240107

20240204 (R4)

The truth unearthed about Met police officer PC Kashif Mahmood is stranger than an episode of the fictional drama Line of Duty. And it was evidence unearthed in the EncroChat operation which made him plead guilty.

PC Kashif Mahmood had won five awards for his outstanding service as a police officer. But he was secretly working for an OCG in east London.

A detective from the Met police's anti-corruption unit talks publicly for the first time about the most brazen case of corruption he's ever seen.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar

Series Producer: Andrew Hosken

Editor and Executive Producer: Innes Bowen

Catching the Kingpins is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.

A corrupt police officer unmasked by the EncroChat hack.

How police took down criminal kingpins by hacking the EncroChat encrypted phone network.

A corrupt police officer working for an OCG is unmasked by the EncroChat hack.

Catching The Kingpins: 6. Final Reckoning

20240107

20240211 (R4)

The EncroChat hack has given the police unprecedented access to the secrets of organised crime. Nearly four years on from the hack, the detective who led the Met's EncroChat investigation, DCI Driss Hayoukane, reveals what the police have learnt about OCGs which they didn't know before.

Presenter Mobeen Azhar hears about the impact of the EncroChat operation from Driss and from the National Crime Agency. There have been thousands of arrests, 200 threats to life averted and tonnes of drugs seized. But has taking out the kingpins cut crime?

Catching the Kingpins is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar

Series Producer: Andrew Hosken

Editor and Executive Producer: Innes Bowen

Sound designer: Peregrine Andrews

Assistant Commissioner: Lorraine Okuefuna

Commissioning Editor: Louise Kattenhorn

Production Executive: Laura Jordan-Rowell

Creative Director for BBC Studios: Georgia Moseley

Unit Manager: Lucy Bannister

Production manager: Elaina Boateng

Production coordinator: Juliette Harvey

Development Executive: Anya Saunders

Editorial Policy Advice: Su Pennington

Legal advice: Hashim Mude and Andrew Downey

Consulting editor: Steve Boulton

Studio recording: Aaron Cazzola

Thanks also to Beena Khetani, Adele Humbert, Hugh Levinson, Ali Rezakhani, Rhiannon Cobb, and Jack Griffith.

What did the EncroChat hack reveal about how OCGs work?

How police took down criminal kingpins by hacking the EncroChat encrypted phone network.

EncroChat data revealed things about OCGs that surprised even the police. Plus, how a legal technicality could blow the entire EncroChat investigation.

Episodes

Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
	Catching The Kingpins: 4. Who Built Encrochat?	20240107	20240128 (R4)	Little is known about who invented the EncroChat network and who owned it. Even the police who investigated the criminals using the network, know little about who's behind it. Journalists David James Smith and Joseph Cox explain what their investigations into the company reveal. Plus, why an expert in cryptography thinks the whole EncroChat operation could fall apart on a legal technicality. Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Series Producer: Andrew Hosken Editor and Executive Producer: Innes Bowen Catching the Kingpins is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds. The mysterious origins of the EncroChat encrypted phone network. How police took down criminal kingpins by hacking the EncroChat encrypted phone network.
02	Catching The Kingpins: 1. The Hack	20240107		Police across Europe prepare for a top-secret operation: the hacking of EncroChat, an encrypted phone network favoured by organised crime groups. EncroChat's server has been discovered in northern France. The French police are planning to secretly inject some code into the users' next software update. If it works, police could be reading the criminals' messages for weeks. At the Metropolitan Police in London, DCI Driss Hayoukane is summoned to a confidential meeting where he hears about the plan. He realises this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and decides to put his retirement on hold. Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Series Producer: Andrew Hosken Editor and Executive Producer: Innes Bowen Catching the Kingpins is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds. Police prepare for a top-secret operation: hacking a phone network favoured by criminals. How police took down criminal kingpins by hacking the EncroChat encrypted phone network. Police prepare for a top-secret operation: the hacking of EncroChat, an encrypted phone network favoured by organised crime.
03	Catching The Kingpins: 2. Threat To Life	20240107	20240114 (R4)	It's April 2020, and the Metropolitan Police are overwhelmed with messages hacked from the EncroChat network. Buried among the millions of texts and photographs, are the outlines of a murder plot. An anonymous EncroChat user is trying to source a gun and some ammunition for a drive by shooting. Will the police discover the messages before it's too late? And will they be willing to risk the secrecy of the entire EncroChat operation by arresting someone on EncroChat evidence alone? Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Series Producer: Andrew Hosken Editor and Executive Producer: Innes Bowen Catching the Kingpins is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds. A murder plot. A London gun dealer. A Cardiff career criminal. How police took down criminal kingpins by hacking the EncroChat encrypted phone network. A murder is being planned with a gun bought via the EncroChat encrypted phone network. Will the police uncover the plot in time?
03	Catching The Kingpins: 2. Threat To Life	20240114		It's April 2020, and the Metropolitan Police are overwhelmed with messages hacked from the EncroChat network. Buried among the millions of texts and photographs, are the outlines of a murder plot. An anonymous EncroChat user is trying to source a gun and some ammunition for a drive by shooting. Will the police discover the messages before it's too late? And will they be willing to risk the secrecy of the entire EncroChat operation by arresting someone on EncroChat evidence alone? Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Series Producer: Andrew Hosken Editor and Executive Producer: Innes Bowen Catching the Kingpins is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds. A murder plot. A London gun dealer. A Cardiff career criminal. How police took down criminal kingpins by hacking the EncroChat encrypted phone network. A murder is being planned with a gun bought via the EncroChat encrypted phone network. Will the police uncover the plot in time?
04	Catching The Kingpins: 3. In Suburbia	20240121		In the wealthy village of Denham in Buckinghamshire, Lee Hannigan and Harry Hicks-Samuels play the part of successful businessmen really well. Hannigan has a car garage, a mansion with a Ferrari on the drive and a place in Dubai. Hicks-Samuels is only 27 but has a watch business and flat in a luxury development. But the secrets of where their money really comes from are on their EncroChat phones. Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Series Producer: Andrew Hosken Editor and Executive Producer: Innes Bowen Catching the Kingpins is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds. Ordinary suburban criminals next door. How police took down criminal kingpins by hacking the EncroChat encrypted phone network. Golf clubs, Ferraris, and the truth about how two Buckinghamshire businessmen really earned their fortunes.
05	Catching The Kingpins: 4. Who Built Encrochat?	20240107	20240128 (R4)	Little is known about who invented the EncroChat network and who owned it. Even the police who investigated the criminals using the network, know little about who's behind it. Journalists David James Smith and Joseph Cox explain what their investigations into the company reveal. Plus, why an expert in cryptography thinks the whole EncroChat operation could fall apart on a legal technicality. Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Series Producer: Andrew Hosken Editor and Executive Producer: Innes Bowen Catching the Kingpins is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds. The mysterious origins of the EncroChat encrypted phone network. How police took down criminal kingpins by hacking the EncroChat encrypted phone network.
06	Catching The Kingpins: 5. Line Of Duty	20240107	20240204 (R4)	The truth unearthed about Met police officer PC Kashif Mahmood is stranger than an episode of the fictional drama Line of Duty. And it was evidence unearthed in the EncroChat operation which made him plead guilty. PC Kashif Mahmood had won five awards for his outstanding service as a police officer. But he was secretly working for an OCG in east London. A detective from the Met police's anti-corruption unit talks publicly for the first time about the most brazen case of corruption he's ever seen. Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Series Producer: Andrew Hosken Editor and Executive Producer: Innes Bowen Catching the Kingpins is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds. A corrupt police officer unmasked by the EncroChat hack. How police took down criminal kingpins by hacking the EncroChat encrypted phone network. A corrupt police officer working for an OCG is unmasked by the EncroChat hack.
07	Catching The Kingpins: 6. Final Reckoning	20240107	20240211 (R4)	The EncroChat hack has given the police unprecedented access to the secrets of organised crime. Nearly four years on from the hack, the detective who led the Met's EncroChat investigation, DCI Driss Hayoukane, reveals what the police have learnt about OCGs which they didn't know before. Presenter Mobeen Azhar hears about the impact of the EncroChat operation from Driss and from the National Crime Agency. There have been thousands of arrests, 200 threats to life averted and tonnes of drugs seized. But has taking out the kingpins cut crime? Catching the Kingpins is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds. Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Series Producer: Andrew Hosken Editor and Executive Producer: Innes Bowen Sound designer: Peregrine Andrews Assistant Commissioner: Lorraine Okuefuna Commissioning Editor: Louise Kattenhorn Production Executive: Laura Jordan-Rowell Creative Director for BBC Studios: Georgia Moseley Unit Manager: Lucy Bannister Production manager: Elaina Boateng Production coordinator: Juliette Harvey Development Executive: Anya Saunders Editorial Policy Advice: Su Pennington Legal advice: Hashim Mude and Andrew Downey Consulting editor: Steve Boulton Studio recording: Aaron Cazzola Thanks also to Beena Khetani, Adele Humbert, Hugh Levinson, Ali Rezakhani, Rhiannon Cobb, and Jack Griffith. What did the EncroChat hack reveal about how OCGs work? How police took down criminal kingpins by hacking the EncroChat encrypted phone network. EncroChat data revealed things about OCGs that surprised even the police. Plus, how a legal technicality could blow the entire EncroChat investigation.