France Arrests 55 Men in Major Telegram Child Abuse Network Bust
Ten-Month Investigation Uncovers Widespread Pedophile Ring Using Encrypted Messaging App Across 42 Districts.
Watan-French authorities announced Thursday the arrest of 55 men across 42 districts as part of a sweeping operation targeting a child sexual abuse network that operated via the Telegram encrypted messaging platform. The arrests followed a ten-month investigation conducted by the Office for the Protection of Minors (OPM).
According to Quentin Bevan, head of operations at the OPM, the suspects—aged between 25 and 75—included individuals from various backgrounds: a priest, a grandfather, an ambulance driver, a music teacher, family men described as “respectable,” and single individuals. All had been communicating via Telegram and were in contact with extremely dangerous individuals already imprisoned since last summer for child sex crimes.
The suspects face charges of possessing, distributing, and viewing child sexual abuse material, particularly involving victims under ten years old. The investigation is currently being handled by 42 separate public prosecutors, given the decentralized nature of the case.
The operation originated last summer after undercover OPM officers arrested perpetrators who were abusing children and broadcasting the acts via Telegram. Bevan explained that the crackdown required months of undercover work, analysis of thousands of messages, and examination of abuse images.
He noted that Telegram remains the platform of choice for child predators, adding that while the app has shown some improvement in cooperating with investigators—especially since the August 2024 arrest of its founder Pavel Durov at Le Bourget Airport near Paris—it still only “barely meets its legal obligations” in combatting such crimes.