Senegal arrests 14 members of alleged paedophile gang linked to France
Senegalese police say they have arrested 14 people and dismantled a pedophile gang operating between the country and France.
The people arrested, all Senegalese, were part of a “transnational” criminal group active since 2017, according to a police press release.
The group is accused of “organized pedophilia, pimping, rape of minors under the age of 15, sodomy and intentional transmission of HIV/Aids.” They allegedly repeatedly forced boys to have “unprotected sex” with men, most of them HIV-positive, and filmed the sex.
Four of the defendants allegedly acted “on the instructions” of a Frenchman arrested in France in April 2025 “in exchange for money transfers”.
The 14 accused were brought before a judge on Friday following searches in several districts of Dakar and the town of Kaolack, 200 km southeast of the capital.
A police statement released on Sunday indicates that coordinated searches were carried out at the homes of the various suspects, and that items suspected of being linked to the alleged crimes were seized.
“The D.I.C. [Criminal Investigations Division] carried out a large-scale operation aimed at dismantling a transnational organized criminal group whose members are based mainly between France and Senegal,” police said.
The press release specifies that the operation was carried out as part of cooperation between Senegal and France, with a delegation of French officers involved in the mission.
Police are committed to pursuing and dismantling these criminal networks and have provided a toll-free number for the public to report any relevant information.
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