In EncroChat scandal, France accuses a little-known Canadian tech nerd of building a digital den for drug dealers

By Joe Castaldo and Alexandra Posadzki

Before Paul Krusky was accused of operating an international criminal enterprise, he lived in the Dominican Republic with his wife, Diana Fantuz, in a gated community on the north side of the island. Their villa opened up to a clear view of the sea, where waves crashed against a rocky outcrop at the edge of their backyard. The couple had left Waterloo, Ont., years earlier for a town favoured by fellow expats who took advantage of the gold sand beaches, spa, pools and restaurants.

Ms. Fantuz pitched in at an organization that cared for stray dogs, and the couple’s place was always home to a variety of pooches, even though her husband was allergic, she wrote on Facebook. Mr. Krusky could talk with authority about most anything, but he mostly kept to himself, preferring dogs to people, according to a friend. It wasn’t entirely clear how he made a living.

He always had some kind of project on the go – building websites, speeding up Amazon shipping to the island and even trying to devise a new kind of fly trap. He once told another local in town that he earned income through online gambling. His most successful and most secretive venture, though, changed the course of his life.

Published by the Globe and Mail.