No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsTeens arrested worldwide, including Costa Rica, as police smash global pedophile ring

Teens arrested worldwide, including Costa Rica, as police smash global pedophile ring

Seventeen people, most of them teenage boys, have been arrested in Spain for sharing images of “extremely violent” child pornography on WhatsApp, police said Tuesday following a two-year investigation spanning three continents.

The arrests came as part of a wide-ranging international probe led by Spain’s national police, in which 33 people were detained in raids across 11 countries.

As well as the 17 arrested in Spain, another nine were being held for investigation — with a total of 14 teenage boys involved.

In Spain, “most of those arrested” were minors, with the youngest just 15, police spokesman Eduardo Casas told AFP.

They were arrested for storing and sharing pornographic files, which in some cases were “extremely serious”, Casas said.

He indicated some involved the graphic abuse and rape of very young children, including “babies of just a few months up to children aged 11 or 12”.

Following several tipoffs by email, police discovered “a WhatsApp group formed by minors, in which several participants had normalized the existence of child pornography and the sexual abuse of other minors”.

As well as sharing files, they had even produced “stickers” — small, digital images like emojis which can be readily shared online — showing “very young children being abused.”

In one case, a 29-year-old man was arrested for not only downloading child pornography but for encouraging other group members to make contact with young girls who could be exploited, particularly migrants who were unlikely to approach the police for help.

A total of 20 people were arrested in Europe — 17 in Spain, and three others in Italy, France and the United Kingdom.

A further 10 were arrested in Latin America — four in Ecuador, two in Uruguay, two in Peru and two in Costa Rica. Another three were picked up in India, Pakistan and Syria.

Trending Now

Costa Rica to Launch Electric Air Taxis for Sustainable Travel in Guanacaste

Costa Rica is poised to revolutionize its transportation landscape with the introduction of electric air taxis, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional ground travel...

Fishing, Wildlife, and History in Costa Rica’s Barra del Colorado

Costa Rica’s Barra del Colorado is a magical and charming town. It’s one of the country’s hidden gems, best known for its world-class sport...

Costa Rica and Panama Seek Gold Cup Glory Against North American Giants

With no Caribbean teams advancing, a Central American contingent made up of Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala heads into the quarterfinals of the...

Climate Change in Costa Rica Devastates Coffee Farms in Los Santos

In Costa Rica’s Los Santos region, famous for producing nearly half the country’s coffee, farmers are reeling from heavy losses driven by wild weather....

Costa Rica’s Eyelash Viper Snake Is One of the Most Beautiful

There are at least 141 different species of snakes in Costa Rica. With that large number of species packed into such a tiny nation,...

Hondurans March to Mark 2009 Coup as Election Battle Heats Up

Thousands of government supporters marched Saturday in the capital of Honduras to commemorate the anniversary of the 2009 coup that ousted then-leftist President Manuel...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica