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Ayo Kehinde with the Agency report
The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has announced the arrest of 95 suspects as part of a sweeping international crackdown on the production, distribution and marketing of child pornography, highlighting the disturbing scale at which messaging applications and cryptocurrencies are being exploited to facilitate cross-border abuse.
INTERPOL said Thursday that the suspects were arrested following four parallel police operations conducted between March and September 2026 in 17 countries in Latin America and Europe.
The coordinated crackdown, conducted as part of the International Effort Confluencia, also led to the execution of 127 search warrants and the rescue of one child, while investigators seized large quantities of digital material which is expected to lead to the identification of other alleged offenders and children potentially at risk.
According to INTERPOL, approximately 89% of those arrested were men and 11% were women.
The participating countries were Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Italy, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain and Uruguay.
Each of the four operations targeted different aspects of the dissemination and commercialization of child pornography, particularly through messaging applications and cryptocurrency transactions.
INTERPOL has warned that digital platforms are increasingly being exploited to lure children, coordinate abuse, connect offenders and facilitate payments for illegal content.
The organization said the same technology also enables the repeated circulation of offensive images and videos, meaning victims suffer ongoing harm long after the original abuse occurred.
Stephen Fry, INTERPOL’s Executive Director for Investigative Support, said information gathered during the operations demonstrated once again the growing role of digital platforms in the monetization of child sexual abuse.
“Effective cross-border cooperation between law enforcement and the private sector has never been more urgent. Behind every file is a child who has been abused and who is re-victimized every time the image recirculates. Wherever offenders move, we must move faster,” Fry said.
One of the most disturbing cases discovered during the operation occurred in Colombia, where police rescued a five-year-old boy and arrested the victim’s parent.
According to INTERPOL, the parent produced and sold abusive material involving the minor online.
Investigators were able to make the breakthrough with the assistance of INTERPOL’s child sexual exploitation database, which linked a number of files depicting the same child. Some of the material dated back to when the victim was only one year old.
Investigators also uncovered disturbing evidence of teenagers participating in messaging groups used to exchange offensive material.
Authorities in Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru and Spain identified teenagers in several messaging groups, where they were caught requesting and distributing child pornography.
In Ecuador, investigators identified an individual who allegedly participated in a group used to share offensive content. According to INTERPOL, subsequent examination of the suspect’s devices uncovered more than 4,000 files and approximately 15 gigabytes of child abuse images.
Panamanian authorities also reported arresting the administrator of a group allegedly used to spread abusive material involving children.
The group had more than 700 users, highlighting the potentially large audience that closed or semi-private digital communities can provide for illegal content.
Argentine police, meanwhile, arrested a suspect accused of maintaining contact with more than 260 girls from different countries.
INTERPOL said the suspect was accused of sextorting minors by initially requesting explicit images and videos before requesting increasingly sexual material.
When the victims attempted to refuse further requests, the suspect allegedly threatened them.
INTERPOL said analysis of the confiscated material should produce further identifications of suspected offenders and children at risk, as well as trigger further safeguards.
The latest crackdown is part of the International Effort Confluencia, an INTERPOL-coordinated initiative aimed at tackling technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and abuse across national borders.
The initiative was funded by the European Union’s EL PACCTO 2.0 program and by the Human Dignity Foundation through INTERPOL’s Preventing the Cycle of Harm programme.
It also received support from AC3 AMERIPOL and Red Elipsia, an international network of investigators specializing in technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and child abuse.
The operation reflects a broader challenge facing international law enforcement as encrypted communications, instant messaging services, digital payment systems and cryptocurrencies increasingly allow criminal networks to operate across jurisdictions.
INTERPOL’s child sexual exploitation database allows specialist investigators in member countries to compare images and videos, identify links between previously separate investigations and potentially establish the identities and locations of victims and offenders.
Headquartered in Lyon, France, INTERPOL connects law enforcement agencies from 196 member countries and maintains international police databases while providing investigative, forensic and analytical support against transnational crime.
The organization runs global programs covering financial crime and corruption, counter-terrorism, cybercrime and organized and emerging crime.
