SCOTS are among more than 60 UK sickos swept up in a global dark web blitz on internet paedos, it has emerged.
Cops in Germany and The Netherlands handed over evidence to UK investigators after they infiltrated the sinister Kidflix site – said to be one of the largest paedophile platforms in the world.
Crimefighters across Europe joined forces to target paedos prowling the internet[/caption]
Sleuths from the National Crime Agency – Britain’s answer to the FBI – have also been involved in the probe that unearthed hundreds of warped users paying for videos of child sexual abuse.
Europol said a staggering 1.8 million users worldwide logged on to the platform between April 2022 and March this year.
German and Dutch authorities involved in Operation Stream swooped on the server on March 11 and unearthed 72,000 videos.
The probe is said to be the largest of its kind ever handled by Europol’s experts in fighting child sexual exploitation.
Almost 1,300 pervs were accessing the horror vids – 63 of them live in the UK, including perverts based in Scotland.
The intel has been passed to Police Scotland for further investigation and possible prosecutions.
NCA senior manager Neil Keeping hailed the cross-border sting that resulted in thousands of warped images being taken offline.
He said: “With thanks to our law enforcement partners in Germany and Europol, a dangerous site hosting tens of thousands of child sexual abuse videos has been taken down.
“NCA intelligence officers worked quickly to identify the UK users of the site, providing a package of intelligence to forces across the country so arrests could be made and children could be safeguarded.
“Providing this global to local response is paramount in our role to protect children from child sexual abuse and criminals who seek out this content.
“We will continue to work with international law enforcement partners to disrupt the online platforms that operate on the dark web, purely for the sexual gratification of offenders, and ensure children are safeguarded from abuse.”
German cops identified 1,275 users from around the world who had either paid for access to material through crypto currency, or earned access through uploading their own material.
They would earn site specific credits which would allow them access to further child abuse imagery.
After receiving info from the German authorities in February, NCA officers identified the UK users who were active on the site.
They had used cryptocurrency to access the illegal content now being investigated by 28 forces across the UK – including Scots cops.
To date, 30 people have been arrested in the UK.
Kidflix was created in 2021 by a cybercriminal who raked in vast sums of money.
Europol chiefs say 91 000 unique videos were uploaded and shared on the platform – with a total running time of 6,288 hours.
