An international operation has led to the arrest of twenty individuals across twelve countries in Europe and the Americas, as part of an investigation into a network producing and distributing child sexual abuse material, according to Interpol. The agency indicated that the network may also extend to Asia and the Pacific region.
The arrests were the culmination of a cross-border inquiry that tracked illegal material online to individuals who viewed or downloaded it. The operation, made public on Friday, included arrests in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Italy, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain, and the United States. Additionally, investigators identified 68 other suspects across 28 countries, including regions in the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.
The investigation commenced last year in Spain when officers from the national police's specialized cyberpatrols discovered suspicious instant messaging groups dedicated to distributing images of child sexual exploitation. Recognizing the international scope of the network, Spanish authorities collaborated with Interpol to expand the operation into South America.
In the arrests announced on Friday, Spanish police detained seven individuals across five provinces and seized cellphones, computers, and storage devices. Investigators noted that some suspects involved in viewing or downloading illegal images were professionals working with children.
In Seville, a schoolteacher was arrested for possessing exploitative images and participating in chat groups distributing the illegal material. In Barcelona Province, a health worker was apprehended on suspicion of paying minors in Eastern Europe for sexually explicit images. Another individual in El Masnou was found to have downloaded a messaging app to view illegal content and subsequently deleted it to conceal his activities.
In Latin America, a teacher in Panama was among those arrested, along with twelve other individuals across the region, as reported by Interpol.