A Europol-backed law enforcement effort known as Operation Alice Dark Web has dismantled more than 373,000 dark web sites that advertised child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and cybercrime as a service (CaaS).

German authorities led the Operation Alice Dark Web crackdown from March 9 to 19. The operation initially targeted “Alice with Violence CP,” a fraudulent platform run by a Chinese national. The operator allegedly tricked people seeking CSAM and CaaS into paying for services that did not exist.

Police investigated the platform for nearly five years. During that period, the site and hundreds of thousands of similar platforms became useful honeypots for investigators. International cooperation helped police identify 440 customers.

Europol said authorities continue to investigate more than 100 of those individuals. Police also moved quickly to arrest suspects whenever they believed children faced immediate danger.