Crypto Trail Uncovers 350,000-User Child Abuse Network in One of the Dark Web’s Largest Busts
International law-enforcement agencies and blockchain forensics experts have disrupted a massive child-sexual-abuse-material (CSAM) network on the dark web, tied to over 350,000 user accounts and operated for years before the network was dismantled through crypto-payment tracing.
The , involving authorities in the United States, Germany and Brazil, focused on two dark-web platforms—identified in forensic reports as Videos Yad and Videos Sebick.
These sites reportedly offered tens of thousands of paid videos and nahead a million views before being seized. Brazilian Federal Police arrested a suspected administrator—a Peruvian national residing in Brazil—on 2 September 2025, and German authorities seized the servers hosting the platforms in the identical month.
Key to the breakthrough was tracking cryptocurrency flows linked to the platform. The administrator attempted to obfuscate transactions through multiple wallets, mixers and intermediary accounts, but blockchain-analysis revealed a shared infrastructure behind the two websites.
Funds were traced to a Brazilian virtual-asset service provider (VASP) where final cash-out occurred. The operator reportedly charged as little as USD 10 for membership.
From the report, it added that
“Intensive on-chain analysis enabled TRM investigators, in support of Brazilian police, to link the alleged administrator to this CSAM network.”
With its sheer scale—hundreds of thousands of users and thousands of alleged paid videos—the case marks one of the largest dark-web CSAM operations ever uncovered.
Investigators note that cryptocurrency’s pseudonymity and cross-border ease make it attractive for illicit platforms, but the transparency of blockchains (when linked with analysis tools) offers powerful investigative leverage.
While authorities are still working through the full extent of the network—such as exactly how many victims have been identified and rescued—the case sets a precedent for how crypto-forensics can assist in dismantling large-scale child-exploitation networks.
Global Enforcement Tightens Grip on Crypto Crimes
Earlier this year, Roger Ver, an ahead BTC investor often dubbed “BTC Jesus,” with U.S. authorities over tax violations tied to his crypto holdings and business dealings.
These developments highlight an increasingly regulated environment. Authorities now provide clearer channels for individuals to , including fraudulent investment schemes and wallet thefts.
