Police, including in Switzerland, arrest 28 in child abuse operation

Accusations include possession, acquisition, and distribution of child abuse material online. Keystone-SDA

Police from seven countries including Switzerland, working with Europol, have arrested 28 people and rescued three children as part of an operation to combat sexual exploitation.

Switzerland’s Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) and the cantonal police forces of Valais, Bern, Aargau and Nidwalden took part in the operation, Europol said on Wednesday. It took place from late May to mid-June in Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland. It also led to the seizure of over 460 items, including electronic devices, crypto wallets, drugs and large quantities of performance-enhancing substances. The operation is ongoing and further arrests are expected.

All suspects are men aged between 22 and 54, Europol said. One used artificial intelligence extensively to create illegal material. Some victims were close family members of another suspect.

Investigators believe the suspects used cryptocurrencies to pay for access to forums on the dark web, where they could download or view child abuse videos. They face accusations of possessing, acquiring and distributing child sexual abuse material.

The investigation was led by Norwegian Police, who developed a method for tracing cryptocurrency transactions in 2025. This method helped investigators to identify individuals who had paid for access to child sexual abuse material. Two sellers of such material were also identified using this method.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.