The reason why drug traffickers are using cell phones of this brand

Google Pixels have long been considered among the most capable and intelligent mobile phones on the market. According to Ara, a media outlet that consulted with an anti-drug official from the National Police in Catalonia, these branded phones have also become preferred by many drug traffickers. The reason? How easy it is to install any operating system and communicate encrypted to avoid being tracked.

Specifically, this brand's smartphones allow the installation of Graphene OS , an Android-based operating system focused on privacy and security, and offer an encrypted communication system that criminal gangs exploit.

Currently, as it has been since its launch in 2024, this alternative operating system is only compatible with Google's Pixel brand mobile phones, which are also configured to be formatted if the PIN is entered incorrectly multiple times, or a remote reset is attempted.

According to the police, all of this has led to Pixels becoming popular among drug trafficking organizations in recent years, as they allow users to install any Android-based operating system without having to use Google apps, making it easier to avoid police control.

This was confirmed in one of their latest operations, according to police sources, which revealed a network of companies dedicated to transporting cocaine, whose workers were using a Google Pixel.

Thus, the police have admitted that traditional wiretaps are no longer as effective as they once were, so security forces have found Trojan-type codes to be one of the main solutions.

Specifically, Trojans are used to infect traffickers' phones and access all their content, whether applications, images, or documents, facilitating direct access to the device. To use this strategy, the police need a judicial authorization.