In a prison on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, the Police found phones and a computer from which images of child pornography were allegedly distributed. 40 kilometers from there, the agents arrested a father accused of filming the sexual abuse he perpetrated against his daughter. In a third city in the large urban cordon that surrounds the Argentine capital, devices suspected of having been used to market illegal audiovisual material were seized. With a total of 114 raids, Argentine security forces carried out on Tuesday one of the largest operations against the distribution of child pornography in twenty towns in Buenos Aires. In total there were 20 detainees and 112 accused, unprecedented figures for this crime in the most populated province of the country.
The operation allowed the rescue of a total of 70 minors, as reported this Wednesday by the Argentine Ministry of Security. “There are clear indications that these are children and adolescents who were subjected to situations of abuse and trafficking,” the researchers said regarding the minors who were left in state custody. Among those detained are direct relatives of the abused minors.
In addition to the crime of downloading and distributing child sexual abuse material, Justice is investigating the defendants for the crimes of possession, production of said material and online sexual harassment (grooming).
As part of Operation Child Protection IV, security forces seized a total of 528 storage devices and 260 cell phones allegedly used for the production and distribution of child pornographic material.
1,140 police officers participated in Tuesday’s arrests after a two and a half month investigation carried out in conjunction with more than twenty specialized prosecutor’s offices. Some of the prosecutor’s offices had already participated in Operation Child Protection III in June, which resulted in 106 suspects being detained.
Since 2023, four mega-operations have been carried out, which reflects the magnitude of child pornography networks rooted in Argentina, a country that does not escape this global scourge. Argentine investigators scour cyberspace in search of illegal material and are also guided by complaints from individuals and organizations dedicated to the protection and prevention of victims of child pornography.
A provincial deputy, arrested
The most resonant case in recent months involved businessman and provincial deputy Germán Kiczka. This former legislator from Misiones, in the extreme northeast of Argentina, has been in preventive detention since September along with his brother Sebastián, accused of having shared at least 603 videos and photos of minors in situations of sexual abuse. The Kiczka brothers were on the run for a week, until the police found them in the neighboring province of Corrientes. As a result of the scandal, the missionary Legislature expelled Germán Kiczka from the seat he had held since 2021.
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