Operation Amethyst was a Garda Síochána (police) operation targeting child pornography in the Republic of Ireland. Involving simultaneous searches on May 27, 2002[1] of over 100 individuals suspected of downloading child pornography, it was one of the largest police operations in Ireland's history.
| Operation Amethyst | |
|---|---|
| Operation Name | Operation Amethyst |
| Type | Child pornography crackdown |
| Roster | |
| Planned by | United States |
| Executed by | Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States |
| Mission | |
| Target | Associated credit card holders used for memberships associated with website portal Landslide Productions. |
| Objective | To round up and prosecute suspects named in a Tip by the United States FBI from Operation Avalanche |
| Timeline | |
| Results | |
| Suspects | 100 |
| Accounting | |
US investigation
editBetween 1999 and 2001, after a tip, a US investigation was conducted into Landslide Productions Inc., a Texas-based online pornography portal operated by Thomas and Janice Reedy. The portal was found to have provided access to child pornography, and the Reedys were both convicted of trafficking child pornography in August 2001.
Following the investigation and conviction, "Operation Avalanche" was launched in the US to trace and prosecute child pornography users identified in the Landslide database. In addition, the website was run for a short time as part of a sting operation by the FBI to capture new suspects.[1] The FBI also passed identities from the Landslide database to the police organisations of other countries, including 7,272 names to the UK.
The details of 130 people in Ireland were passed to the Garda Síochána.[2] The homes of over 100 suspected users of the site were raided [3], including several high-profile individuals, including Circuit Court Judge Brian Curtin[4] and celebrity chef Tim Allen.[5]
It was followed by Operation Ore in the United Kingdom, Operation Snowball in Canada, Operation Pecunia in Germany, Operation Amethyst in Ireland, and Operation Genesis in Switzerland.[2]
Results
editCountry-specific results
edit- Australia 200 arrests (see Operation Auxin)
- Canada - Operation Snowball[2]
- Ireland (see Operation Amethyst)[2]
- Germany (see Operation Pecunia)
- Switzerland (see Operation Genesis aka Action Genesis)[2]
- United Kingdom (see Operation Ore)[2]
- United States (see Operation Avalanche)[2]
References
edit- ^ Yagielowicz, Stephen (10 August 2001). "Child Pornography: An Unsolvable Problem?". Retrieved 16 January 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f Jon Kelly & Tom de Castella (17 December 2012). "Paedophile net: Did Operation Ore change British society?". BBC News.
- ^ Anita Guidera, Ex-priest jailed on child porn charges, The Poynter Institute (Online), October 16, 2003.
- ^ Cormac O’Keeffe Archived 16 May 2005 at the Wayback Machine, Nationwide swoop followed FBI tip-off , Irish Examiner, April 24, 2004.
- ^ "Crime.ie's guide to the biggest and best gardaí operations" Archived 31 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Crime.ie, May 24, 2012
- ^ Irish judge's home raided in porn swoop, News.telegraph, May 30, 2002.
- ^ Child porn charges admitted, BBC News Europe, January 16, 2003.
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