150,000 child abuse images seized in four of 31 homes raided

Up to four people targeted in Garda raids of 31 homes have voluntarily admitted to possessing more than 150,000 child abuse images, the Irish Examiner understands. In one case, there are believed to be 70,000 images on the person’s digital devices.

Senior gardaí said yesterday that arrests are “imminent” in the operation, codenamed Ketch, which ran over the last four days in 12 garda divisions in Leinster and Munster. The divisions are Dublin, Louth, Meath, Westmeath, Wicklow, Laois, Kildare, Carlow/ Kilkenny, Kerry, Waterford, Limerick and Wexford.

It is thought that none of the suspects are people with a public profile or are the likes of judges or gardaí.