State-wide raid in NRW against child pornography

With a nationwide raid in 27 cities, the police in North Rhine-Westphalia have investigated the possession and distribution of child pornography.

The measures were directed against 35 defendants suspected of having exchanged photo and video files via a messenger service, Markus Hartmann, head of the central cybercrime unit at the public prosecutor's office in Cologne (ZAC NRW), said on Wednesday. 34 accused are men.

The more than 500 data carriers would now have to be evaluated. The suspects face charges or a penalty order for possession or possession and distribution of child pornography.

"The fight against child pornography is a long-distance run in which we do not let up," said Ingo Wünsch, Director of the NRW State Office of Criminal Investigation.

"The fact that abuse images are also shared via ordinary messenger services shows the extent of the problem of child pornography on the net," Hartmann said.

"The fight against child pornography is a long-distance run in which we do not let up," said Wünsch. So that the suspects do not warn each other via the messenger service, the search was carried out at the same time.