Norway’s National Criminal Investigation Service (Kripos) reported that the individuals utilized the cryptocurrency Monero to purchase access to multiple forums on the dark web.
On Wednesday, Norwegian authorities announced the detention of 28 men from seven different countries as part of a crackdown targeting purchasers of child sexual abuse material.
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According to the National Criminal Investigation Service (Kripos), these men paid with Monero cryptocurrency to obtain entry into various dark web forums.
«In collaboration with six countries, we coordinated the arrests of the identified users who used cryptocurrency payments to access these forums,» police prosecutor Terje Nedrebo Michelsen stated.
This operation, conducted in early June, led to arrests of men aged between 22 and 54 in Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany, Kripos confirmed.
The agency indicated that further arrests might occur, possibly involving additional nations, emphasizing that numerous suspects remain under investigation.
Kripos revealed that in 2025 it developed a technique to track cryptocurrency transactions linked to specific cases.
Separately, Europol noted that one individual arrested extensively used artificial intelligence for creating illegal content, while some victims were members of another suspect’s immediate family.
The operation resulted in the protection of three children, Europol added.
Furthermore, the investigation led to the confiscation of over 460 items, including electronic devices, crypto wallets, narcotics, and substantial amounts of doping agents, Europol reported.
Additional sources • AFP