Gardaí join Europol in major operation uncovering online human trafficking and dark web organ trade

A total of 33 potential victims of trafficking and 31 suspected perpetrators were identified during the four-day operation.

Specialist gardaí have taken part in a European-led operation targeting human trafficking conducted through online platforms.

A total of 33 potential victims of trafficking and 31 suspected perpetrators were identified during the four-day operation.

The investigation also uncovered dark web platforms linked to organ trafficking and child sexual abuse material (CSAM), as well as sites claiming to “rent, buy and sell minors, including newborn babies.”

The “Hackathon” focused on social media platforms, online marketplaces, dating apps, job sites, escort agency pages, and instant messaging services to identify people facilitating sexual or labour exploitation online.

The operation was organised by Europol, the EU’s police agency, and involved specialists from 26 countries, including non-EU states such as the UK and Brazil.

In a statement, Europol said the operation ran from September 15 to 19 and was the fourth edition of the EMPACT Trafficking in Human Beings (THB) Hackathon, an action week against online human trafficking.

“It was led by Dutch authorities, with the support of Germany and the United Kingdom, and brought together 73 specialists from 26 countries across the world,” the statement said, adding that Eurojust, the EU’s justice agency, also participated.

“Over the course of the week, experts investigated social media platforms, marketplaces, dating apps, job searching portals, escort agency sites and instant messaging platforms in search of actors facilitating sexual or labour exploitation online,” Europol said.

It said the operation uncovered indications of human trafficking across 44 online platforms and produced the following results:

• 33 potential victims of human trafficking identified 
• 31 suspected perpetrators identified 
• 53 platforms checked 
• 302 website URLs related to trafficking detected 
• 137 social networks linked to trafficking identified

Europol said escort agencies dominate the online market for sexual services, operating across multiple EU countries. These services appear to be coordinated by a small number of organised criminal groups.

Authorities also observed that potential victims of sexual exploitation were consistently accompanied by men acting as their controllers.

Europol said AI and digital currencies were also involved: “Additionally, experts detected an increase in advertisements generated by artificial intelligence to lure victims, as well as a shift towards sophisticated payment methods, where only cryptocurrencies are accepted.” 

Analysts also found dark web platforms indicating organ trafficking and CSAM, along with pages claiming to rent, buy, or sell minors, including newborn babies.

Participating EU states included Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, and Sweden.

Third countries involved were Brazil, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Serbia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

The European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) targets major threats from organised and serious international crime affecting the EU. 

It strengthens intelligence sharing, strategic coordination, and operational cooperation between national authorities, EU bodies, and international partners.