79 Arrested In Takedown Of One Of The World's Largest Online Pedophile Networks
European authorities were able to shut down one of the largest online child abuse networks in the world last month in an operation that is set to be the catalyst for the potential arrests of over 1 million pedophiles worldwide. Europol officials confirmed that Operation Stream was successfully able to the take child pornography platform Kidflix offline, which has thus far led to the arrest of 79 suspects involved in the distribution of child sex abuse material. The operation was led by the State Criminal Police of Bavaria and Bavarian Central Office For The Prosecution Of Cybercrime in tandem with Europol and other law enforcement agencies worldwide. Authorities carried out raids at 96 locations, targeting 103 different suspects across 31 countries. The network was the largest to be taken down by Europol in its history but marks only the beginning of the fight to bring the perpetrators of child sex abuse who were using the site to justice.
Kidflix, one of the largest paedophile platforms in the world, has been shut down in an international operation against child sexual exploitation.
— Europol (@Europol) April 2, 2025
⏹️ Europol has supported authorities from 38 countries worldwide in shutting down the platform.
More: https://t.co/eoETaBNyBi pic.twitter.com/FPI9xkuTkE
Kidflix hosted approximately 91,000 videos on its peer-to-peer network that enabled pedophiles to share child pornography, making it one of the largest operating child abuse network to be identified on the Dark Web. The 91,000 child sex abuse videos on the website totaled a runtime of over 6,288 hours, with 3.5 new videos being uploaded on average every hour. Since its creation in 2021, the website operating out of Germany enabled pedophiles across the globe to not only stream, share, and download child pornography but to profit from its distribution by enabling payments made via on-site tokens purchased with cryptocurrency. 1.8 million users worldwide visited the site over the course of Operation Stream between April 2022 and March 2025, foreshadowing many more arrests to follow.
In addition to the 79 suspects arrested to date, law enforcement agencies have identified another 1,393 as they broaden the scope of their investigations. Several of the suspects taken into custody have been implicated in the direct abuse of children and production of child pornography. German officials leading Operation Stream seized over 3,000 electronic devices connected to the network, including hard drives taken by German and Dutch law enforcement with around 72,000 videos alone.
One of the world’s largest pedophile networks, Kidflix, has been dismantled in a massive international operation against child exploitation.
— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) April 3, 2025
Authorities from 38 countries, including the U.S., Canada, and Australia, collaborated in a global effort to shut down the platform.… pic.twitter.com/jQCpJxde8a
Analysis of child sex abuse material hosted on the Dark Web website by the European Cybercrime Centre aided in the rescue of 39 children who were victims of the pedophile network. One of the children rescued by Operation Stream was the child of one of the pedophile network's members who offered his son to pedophiles using Kidflix. This disturbing revelation that was integral to the success of operation came to light in January 2024 when German police arrested the 36 year-old man in the city of Chemnitz according to Guido Limmer, deputy head of the Bavarian Criminal Police. Although information on the other suspects identified as part of Operation Stream is sparse, Limmer stated that investigators had also been able to identify a serial abuser in the United States.
The probe has been confirmed to have led to the arrest of 2 Canadian nationals. The Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit announced the arrest of 23 year-old Edmund James Bellegarde Jr. after the execution of a search warrant in connection to his activity of Kidflix uncovered several electronic devices with child sex abuse material. Bellegarde Jr. has been charged with possession of child pornography and accessing child pornography and is set to appear in court on May 14th. Edmonton Police also confirmed the arrest of a 36 year-old man as part of Operation Stream. Though authorities did not release the name of the suspect, he is set to appear in court to face charged of possession of child pornography, accessing child pornography, and distributing child pornography. Despite the gravity of the Edmonton man's crimes, he has been released from police custody until his April 14th court date.
Operation Stream involved a total of 38 countries worldwide whose collective efforts were able to take Kidflix off of the Dark Web. Domestic law enforcement agencies involved in the operation spanned across Europe but also included the Department Of Homeland Security in the United States as well as others in Australia, Canada, Colombia, and New Zealand, highlighting the global reach of Kidflix and scope of the locations of pedophiles who used the platform.
