31 people were arrested in France and Europe after an investigation launched by the gendarmerie

More than 200,000 files were discovered during the investigation. Several suspects were placed in pre-trial detention and further arrests are planned.

Thirty-one men, suspected of having administered and used child pornography content via encrypted messaging Signal, were arrested in mid-November, during a vast search in France and Europe, the gendarmerie announced on Monday November 27. In total, more than 200,000 files were discovered, 40 child crime groups were inspected and 49 digital materials were seized.

The starting point of the operation is a denunciation made by the American Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to “possession of child pornography”concerning a thirty-year-old living in Marmande (Lot-et-Garonne), placed in police custody last February, specifies the gendarmerie, confirming information from the newspaper South West.

Arrests across Europe

The exploitation of digital media, initiated by the cybergendames of the Bordeaux Research Section, then made it possible to identify seven discussion groups, eight administrators and three secure storage spaces. “An investigation carried out by gendarmes under a pseudonym then makes it possible to identify all the stakeholders: administrators, suppliers, users…”describes Colonel Pascal Péresse, head of the operations division at the Center for the Fight against Digital Crime (C3N).

Through viewing particularly harsh images, approximately “700 individuals of 73 different nationalities” are thus identified by more than 70 investigators, including 25 specialized in new technologies, at the Cergy-Pontoise center, and in the local branches of Bordeaux, Lille, Versailles or Metz of Europol and Interpol. Between November 13 and 17, “10 suspects are arrested in Spain, 5 in Hungary, 4 in Belgium, and 2 in Bulgaria, i.e. 21 arrests within the European Union and 10 in France”.

“New arrests are also planned soon in Finland, Romania and Ukraine”, specifies Colonel Péresse. Several suspects were placed in pre-trial detention. Some are also being prosecuted for rape of a minor under 15 and corruption of minors. Among the people arrested with various profiles, include a former teacher from Mayotte, a Hungarian pediatrician, a radio host and tourists who have traveled to Thailand.