They dismantled one of the largest child pornography portals: there were operations in Germany and Paraguay

Three people were arrested in Germany and a fourth in Paraguay in connection with an operation against one of the world’s largest child pornography platforms on the “dark internet” or “darknet”, which it operated under the name “BOYSTOWN”.

As the Federal Office for Criminal Investigations (BKA) reports today, the main suspects, accused of administering this portal, have in the meantime been dismantled and It had been operating since at least June 2019, there are two men, aged 40 and 49, living in Germany, and a third German, 58, who had lived in South America for several years.

The three defendants are said to be responsible for the technical functioning of the platform, the installation and maintenance of the structure of the server and the assistance to the members of the group.

Among other services of attention to its members, they provided tips for safely navigating “BOYSTOWN” and minimizing the risk of being discovered by law enforcement authorities.

the fourth inmate, a 64-year-old man, is suspected of having registered in July 2019 as a member of “BOYSTOWN” and of being one of the most active users with over 3,500 entries.

Over 400,000 members

The platform, which ended up having Over 400,000 members, it has been used for the exchange of child pornography among its members, and the photographs and videos exchanged also include images of severe abuse against very young children.

In addition to the forum, the platform had two channels in different languages ​​to facilitate communication between its members and the exchange of child pornography.

The arrests are the result of a in-depth investigation by the Central Cybercrime Bureau (ZIT) of the Frankfurt Attorney General’s Office and the BKA whereby, in mid-April, seven outbreaks were registered in the Länder of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Hamburg.

At the same time and at the request of the German judicial authorities, a search was carried out in the Paraguayan region of Concepción, which resulted in a fourth arrest.

In the operation, under the coordination of Europol, the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, the United States and Canada also participated.

The three men detained in Germany have been in preventive detention since mid-April, while German authorities have already requested an extradition order for the fourth suspect.

(With information from EFE)

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