POLÍCIA JUDICIÁRIA seized 148 computers containing paedophilia images in a surprise raid held on Tuesday in different regions of Portugal.
The investigation started six months ago after two suspects in other cases revealed the names of some of the websites the paedophile criminals used.
For several months, more than 80 users of those websites were watched closely by the PJ investigators from Secção Central de Investigação da Criminalidade de Alta Tecnologia, the main force against high-technology and computer-related crime.
On Tuesday, around 300 agents were called into action in a raid on private houses and companies in Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, Madeira, Azores and other smaller towns and villages, allowing authorities to identify 80 individual users.
The aim of this PJ operation, named Predadores, was to prove the access and distribution of paedophilia information, like photos and pornographic videos, through some of the most used peer-to-peer (P2P) programmes, which allow file sharing between computers.
Under age
According to the PJ, the most worrying result of this investigation was the fact that a significant percentage of the people visiting this type of websites and using P2P programmes were under age.
This same conclusion was reported two years ago, after a similar paedophilia investigation named Barro, when 58 computers were seized and 47 individuals were named suspects.
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