Gardaí believe that up to 12 men, including a garda, may be implicated in a case involving the sexual abuse of a 14-year-old boy, Conor Lally & Carl O'Brien.
The victim, from north Dublin, began surfing an international gay website just over two months ago, according to Garda sources. It appears other Irish-based users of the site quickly targeted him and established contact with him via his mobile phone.
It is not clear yet how many, if any, of these men knew each other or if they were part of a paedophile ring.
At least two of the men, both in their 40s, have repeatedly had sex with the boy over the past two months at different addresses in north and south Dublin, according to gardaí.
The suspects - one a former truck driver, the other a lecturer in a language school - were arrested late last week and interviewed under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act on suspicion of sexually assaulting a minor. The Irish Times understands both men have admitted having sex with the boy.
They were released without charge and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The boy, meanwhile, has undergone a medical examination and has been interviewed by gardaí.
The garda implicated in the investigation is in his early 20s. He is a probationary garda at a south Dublin station. His identity was established because his phone number was attached to the explicit texts sent to the boy.
He was contacted by gardaí and last Friday evening presented himself for questioning. He was not arrested and was instead interviewed under caution. He was released without charge and a file is being sent to the DPP. He was suspended from duty at the weekend.
His period of suspension will last for three months during which time detectives are hopeful the roles of all involved will become apparent.
While the investigation is still at an early stage, no evidence has emerged that the garda implicated in the investigation had any form of sexual contact other than sending the boy explicit texts.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern yesterday said the investigation was a "very disturbing and worrying matter", while Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said the case represented a "parent's worst nightmare".
Child protection groups, meanwhile, have advised parents to talk to their children on how to react if approached by a stranger or if asked to do something that feels wrong by someone they know.
Norah Gibbons, director of advocacy at Barnardos, said: "This leads all of us to look more closely at how are we protecting our children. Mobile phones and access to the internet, while positive, leave children more open to abuse."