Series synopsis
Operation Dark Phone: Murder by Text is a British crime documentary television series that premiered on Channel 4 on July 27, 2025. It ended on July 30, 2025. It was created by Zac Beattie. It stars Kenny Blyth, Russell Anthony, Chris Eastwood and Ahmed Elmusrati.
The incredible inside story of a huge police operation to infiltrate dangerous global crime gangs through their encrypted phone network.
Operation Dark Phone : Murder by Text is the inside story the biggest ever joint law enforcement operation against a global network of organised crime groups who believed their encrypted phones were safe. Until a collaboration between international authorities - led in the UK by the National Crime Agency - managed to hack their phones to reveal the astonishing ...
Premise
The incredible inside story of a huge police operation to infiltrate dangerous global crime gangs through their encrypted phone network.
Operation Dark Phone : Murder by Text is the inside story the biggest ever joint law enforcement operation against a global network of organised crime groups who believed their encrypted phones were safe. Until a collaboration between international authorities - led in the UK by the National Crime Agency - managed to hack their phones to reveal the astonishing details of their messages. For the first time since the EncroChat network was infiltrated in 2020, the messages sent and the criminals exposed are exclusively revealed in a four part documentary series that tells the story in compelling and shocking detail. For 74 frantic days the authorities could read all the messages and sought to save lives and bring down the gangs, before the criminals realised their data was being captured.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Kenny Blyth as LuxuryBalloon
- Russell Anthony as ThrowTheDice
- Chris Eastwood as Keyhole
- Ahmed Elmusrati as TypicalTea
- John Hoye as BoldMove
- Michael Wagner as Slempo
- Matt Horne as Self - Gold Commander National Crime Agency
Guest cast
- Jan Meeus as Self - Investigative Journalist
- Wouter Laumans as Self - Investigative Journalist
- Andy Kraag as Self - Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit, Netherlands
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 4 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 4 | July 27, 2025 | July 30, 2025 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 The inside story of the biggest ever joint law enforcement operation against a global network of organised crime groups who believed their encrypted phones were safe. For 74 frantic days the authorities could read all the messages and sought to save lives and bring down the gangs, before the criminals realised that their data was being captured. |
July 27, 2025 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 How one of the users in the encrypted chat was identified as he leader of one of the most dangerous organised crime groups in north-west England, now running his criminal enterprises from outside the UK. He had no idea that his messages had been intercepted and was planning coordinated shootings against the families of two of his enemies. |
July 28, 2025 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 As the National Crime Agency team mobilise to find the mole within their team, word gets out that there has been a fatal development in the investigation in the Netherlands. A leading crime journalist, Wouter Laumans, is quickly on the case. The murder victim is a very close friend of the crime boss who has built the torture chamber. The authorities fear a terrifying escalation when they uncover a plot to kidnap his enemy's family in revenge. It becomes increasingly clear that the authorities will soon have to reveal their hands if more deaths are to be avoided. |
July 29, 2025 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | Channel 4 |
|---|---|
| First aired | July 27, 2025 |
| Last aired | July 30, 2025 |
| Runtime | 46 minutes |
| Status | ended |