ATLANTA — Four North Georgia men were among 53 arrested this week in a massive child pornography crackdown authorities describe as an all-out effort to stifle the illegal business.
Led by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, authorities executed 80 search warrants and seized almost 300 computers in the statewide bust called Operation Restore Hope that began Tuesday.
The operation capped a three-month effort to track the spread of online child pornography. It follows an operation last year in which 27 people were arrested and more than 100 computers seized, the GBI said.
The operation focused on computer users who share child pornography online for free, using peer-to-peer software, said John Whitaker, the GBI agent who led the operation.
“Even though we have other problems in Georgia, this is a major problem here compared with other states,” Whitaker said. “And we’re trying our best to move forward with this operation with as many resources as we have.”