German police and Europol shut down around 373,000 to 400,000 darknet sites selling gross child abuse material and scams in Operation Alice. Five Swedish men are suspected of gross child pornography crimes following a tip from German police. 440 customers were identified in the five-year investigation.
In Operation Alice, led by German police with Europol support, 23 countries collaborated to dismantle a major darknet network. The operation ran from March 9 to 19, targeting sites advertising child sexual abuse material and cybercrime services. Reports cite over 373,000 or nearly 400,000 sites shut down, with servers in Germany. Many payments were made via cryptocurrencies or credit cards, but deliveries often failed, per sources. The five-year probe identified 440 customers and a 35-year-old man based in China, now internationally wanted. Five Swedish men have been identified and are suspected of gross child pornography offenses. “We have five suspected Swedes where German police handed over information in January. A preliminary investigation is ongoing,” says Lena Larsson, investigation leader at Noa. The material is described as particularly ruthless and gross. Europol head Catherine De Bolle states: “Operation Alice sends a clear message: there is nowhere for criminals to hide when the international law enforcement community works hand in hand.”
