French authorities have arrested 55 men throughout the country in a sweep operation aimed at dismantling an online pedophile ring that operates through the Telegram messaging application.
The arrests took place between Monday and Thursday morning, according to the France office for minor protection (OFM).
The suspects, from 25 to 75 years old, allegedly exchanged child sexual abuse (CSAM) with an “extremely dangerous” pedophile that had been imprisoned in the summer of 2024.
“This was an important research and infiltration operation in this telegram group.
“We had to follow the exchanges, analyze them and identify the people who hide behind these telegram pseudonyms, especially those who had children, had a criminal record or worked in sensitive professions that involved contact with children,” said Quentin Bevan, head of the Opper Operating Unit.
Bevan said the investigation, which lasted ten months, revealed disturbing evidence.
“All these 55 individuals exchanged images of CSAM with the dangerous pedophile, so we had digital evidence that involved them all,” he said.
The suspects came from several areas of life, including parents, public officials, military personnel and paramedics.
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In France, possessing or distributing child sexual abuse material entails a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of € 100,000 (approximately $ 112,747).
Telegram responded to CNN, saying that the platform had taken aggressive measures to address the problem.
“We have taken extensive measures to combat child abuse.
“So far, more than 367,000 groups and channels related to child sexual abuse in 2025 have been eliminated, as a result of our efforts,” said Telegram spokesman Remi Vaughn.
This is not Telegram's first meeting with the French authorities. In August 2024, the founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested at Bourget airport in Paris.
He was accused of several positions, including money laundering and facilitating the spread of child sexual abuse content.
In a public statement after his arrest, Durov defended the moderation practices of his company.
“I am committed to improving the moderation of our application,” he said, adding that officials were trying to take responsibility for “personally responsible for the illegal use of other telegram people.”
(CNN)
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