Norwegian police announced on Wednesday that 28 men have been arrested across seven countries in a coordinated international operation targeting buyers of child sexual abuse material on the dark web. The suspects, aged between 22 and 54, were taken into custody in Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany during early June.
The National Criminal Investigation Service (Kripos) revealed that the individuals used the cryptocurrency Monero to pay for access to several illicit forums. Monero is known for its enhanced privacy features, making transactions harder to trace than Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. Kripos stated that it had developed a method in 2025 to trace Monero transactions in specific cases, a breakthrough that enabled this operation.
Coordinated Action Across Borders
Police prosecutor Terje Nedrebo Michelsen emphasized the collaborative nature of the effort: "We have worked closely with six countries to coordinate the arrests of the identified users who paid with cryptocurrency to gain access to the forums." The operation, dubbed Operation Torch, involved law enforcement agencies from multiple European nations and Canada, reflecting the cross-border nature of such crimes.
Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, provided additional details. In a separate statement, it noted that one of the arrested individuals "was extensively using artificial intelligence in order to generate illegal material," while "some of the victims were part of another suspect's immediate family." This highlights the growing concern over AI-generated child sexual abuse material, which has prompted calls for stricter regulation. The EU Parliament is set to vote again on extending message scanning for such content, a contentious issue that balances privacy and child protection.
Three children were "safeguarded" as a result of the operation, according to Europol. The agency also reported that the crackdown led to the seizure of more than 460 items, including electronic devices, crypto wallets, drugs, and large quantities of doping substances.
Kripos indicated that further arrests are expected, potentially in additional countries, noting that there are "many suspects" still under investigation. The operation underscores the persistent challenge of policing the dark web, where anonymity and cryptocurrencies enable illegal activities. Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit recently appeared in public after a lung transplant, but the focus here remains on the judicial and technological efforts to combat child exploitation.
The use of AI to generate abusive material has alarmed rights groups, with over 100 organizations urging the EU and UN to enforce AI safety rules for children. This case illustrates the evolving tactics of offenders and the need for law enforcement to adapt. As European countries grapple with digital crime, operations like this demonstrate the importance of international cooperation and technological innovation in protecting vulnerable individuals.
