A 54-year-old German programmer was arrested in Chon Buri for operating a dark web platform that distributed child pornography. The arrest was the result of a collaborative effort between Thailand’s Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) and US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The suspect, identified only as Steffen (surname withheld), was taken into custody at his condominium in Bang Lamung district on March 5, following an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court on March 3.
Pol Maj Gen Athip Pongsiwapai, commander of the TCSD, revealed during a press briefing on Tuesday that the investigation was initiated after HSI provided crucial information linking Steffen to the operation of a dark web site dedicated to selling child pornography. According to HSI, the suspect had been running the site for approximately three years. The platform offered a range of explicit content, with users required to pay in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Monero to access or download the material. These payments were credited to user accounts, enabling them to view or obtain the illicit videos.
Authorities traced Steffen’s digital financial transactions and discovered that he had been transferring membership fees from the site to his digital wallets. The funds were subsequently converted into various currencies before being exchanged into Thai baht and deposited into his bank accounts in Thailand.
Steffen now faces multiple charges, including possession of child pornography for sexual exploitation, commercial distribution of child pornography, and involvement in the production, import, export, or trade of child pornography. During interrogation, the suspect reportedly confessed to the charges. He stated that after retiring from his programming career in Germany, he moved to Thailand and became the administrator of two dark web sites. These platforms hosted over 5,000 child pornography videos and had more than 10,000 subscribers collectively, generating an estimated 3.5 million baht in illegal revenue.
As part of the investigation, police confiscated several items from Steffen’s residence, including a laptop, a network computer, a mobile phone, and a storage device containing 140,000 pornographic files. Additionally, bank account records, credit cards, and SIM cards were seized as evidence.
