Australian detectives have charged 19 men with being part in a global child pornography-sharing network involving 70 countries, police said on Thursday.
Australian Federal Police had identified another three Australian suspects in a yearlong investigation into the Internet
sharing of the illicit images, Australian Federal Police said in a statement.
The investigation was prompted by information from Brazilian police in December last year. Australian police have seized 500,000 images of child abuse and 15,000 videos, some showing children being abused for more than two hours. The victims were as young as 12 months old, the statement said.
Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Andrew Colvin said in the statement that at least two children had been removed from harm as result of the investigation.
Information from Brazilian police via the international policing network Interpol had identified more than 200 suspects in 70 countries, the statement said.
Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Gaughan said more arrests were expected this week. All the charges related to accessing the images over the Internet.
The victims were from countries around the world, he said. Their identities were difficult to determine.
“We have received information that they are based primarily in Eastern Europe and North and South America,” Gaughan told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio.