In a massive crackdown against paedophile nexus in Poland, 17 people have been arrested for distributing child pornography via internet, Polish Radio External Service reported.

Warsaw police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski said the suspects were found searching for pornographic materials by the interpol Office in Wiesbaden, Germany via a P2P social networking programme.

They could face up to eight years in prison if convicted.

In an operation carried out in 12 Polish provinces, the police raided 17 households and companies, seizing 21 computers and laptops, removable disc drives and over 1,300 DVDs.

This is the fifth raid conducted by law enforcement agencies in Poland so far this year, with 120 detentions recorded in January.