Nationwide swoop followed FBI tip-off

IT was one of the biggest and most dramatic garda operations ever, with some 500 officers taking part in synchronised raids by almost every garda division in the country.

In the top-secret nationwide swoop on the morning and afternoon of Monday, May 27, 2002, more than 110 searches were carried out in homes, businesses and offices.

The search, dubbed Operation Amethyst, was for child pornography downloaded from the internet.