Police issue international arrest warrant for second suspect in Apotheka data theft

The Central Criminal Police and the State Prosecutor's Office have issued an international arrest warrant for 30-year-old Moroccan citizen Adrar Jamali, suspected of unauthorized access and data downloads from the Apotheka customer card system in February 2024. This is the second person to be declared wanted in this criminal case; last year, the suspect's younger brother, Adrar Khalid, was also declared wanted.

The Central Criminal Police and the State Prosecutor's Office have issued an international arrest warrant for a citizen of the Kingdom of Morocco suspected of unauthorized access and data downloads from the Apotheka customer card system managed by Allium UPI. This is the second suspect to be declared wanted in the same criminal case.

Two brothers, both wanted

Based on evidence gathered, there is reason to suspect 30-year-old Moroccan citizen Adrar Jamali of unlawfully downloading data from the Allium UPI database in February 2024. Last year, the Central Criminal Police issued an international arrest warrant for his younger brother, Adrar Khalid, who is also suspected of involvement in the same crime.

Harju County Court upheld the prosecutor's request and issued an arrest warrant against Adrar Jamali. If the suspect is detained in any country, that country has the possibility to extradite him to Estonia.

"Cybercriminals know no borders"

Jete Luik, head of the Central Criminal Police's cybercrime bureau, emphasized that the case clearly demonstrates how cyber threats transcend national borders. "This case illustrates well that cybercriminals know no borders and Estonian companies and citizens' data are targets for criminals operating far beyond Estonia. Resolving such cases is very important for us, and identifying the suspects is one crucial step in the investigation, demonstrating that crimes committed against Estonia will not go unsolved," Luik said.

To date, police have established that the downloaded data has not been known to be misused.

Prosecutor: protection of health data is particularly important

State Prosecutor Vahur Verte stressed that the case directly affected the sense of security of many Estonian people. "In recent years, we have identified suspects behind several major cyberattacks. We have issued international arrest warrants for Russian citizens suspected of attacks on Estonian government institutions five years ago, and two years ago for a Russian citizen who organized the data theft from Asper Biogene, and last year for the first and now the second Moroccan citizen suspected of stealing Apotheka customer data," Verte listed.

Verte added that as digital services expand, companies are entrusted with increasingly more personal data, and the responsibility for protecting it grows. "Companies that process people's health data or other sensitive information must approach cybersecurity with particular responsibility," said the state prosecutor.