Police have charged a man with 28 drug and child exploitation offences under Operation Xray Cato.
Redcliffe Child Protection Investigation Unit (CPIU) established the operation after police received information in October 2024 about a man allegedly involved in child exploitation offences.
Investigations led police to execute a search warrant on a Kippa Ring home on December 7, 2024, where they seized several digital devices for forensic examination and arrested a 31-year-old man.
The 31-year-old Kippa Ring man was initially charged on December 8 with three counts of possessing child exploitation material and one count of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence.
Through further examination of the devices, police allegedly located child exploitation material featuring a number of unidentified child victims.
The 31-year-old Kippa Ring man was charged with an additional 24 offences on January 24, 2025, including six counts of supplying dangerous drugs, five counts of using internet to procure children under 16, four counts of grooming child under 16 years or parent or carer of child under 16 years - facilitate procurement of child to engage in sexual act, four counts of indecent treatment of child under 12 with impairment of the mind, two counts of distributing child exploitation material and one count each of contravening order about information necessary to access information stored electronically, possessing child exploitation material and using internet to procure children under 12.
He has been remanded in custody and due to reappear in Redcliffe Magistrates Court on May 1.
As investigations continued, Redcliffe police worked with Argos victim identification specialists to identify and locate the child victims.
Two child victims were identified to be in southeast Queensland and police have made contact with and are supporting those children.
An additional two child victims were identified to be in the Philippines. Queensland Police Service engaged the Australian Federal Police representatives to work with the Philippine National Police (PNP) to locate and rescue two children, and an associated three others, from abusive environments.
Five children, four girls and one boy, were rescued by the PNP on February 20, 2025.
Investigations into their situations will continue locally under the PNP.
Moreton District Detective Inspector Phil Hurst said this was a complex and lengthy investigation.
"I thank the CPIU detectives for their tenacity in going to lengths to ensure the victims were identified and, in some cases, rescued from harm," Detective Inspector Hurst said.
"This shows that we will investigate all reports of harm against children both locally and even if it leads us overseas."
If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24hrs per day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting.
Report crime information anonymously via Crime Stoppers. Call 1800 333 000 or report online at www.crimestoppersqld.com.au.
