Lorraine Williamson
Spanish police have arrested 35 people across 21 provinces in a coordinated operation targeting the possession and exchange of child sexual abuse material. The investigation, launched after a member of the public reported a suspicious online link, has led to charges against dozens of individuals and exposed disturbing online behaviour.
Authorities also placed seven additional individuals under investigation. In total, officers conducted 42 home searches, seizing more than 100 devices used to store illegal content.
Cloud Storage and Messaging Apps Used to Share Illegal Content
According to the Policía Nacional, suspects stored and exchanged images using cloud storage services and instant messaging platforms. A significant breakthrough came after tech companies collaborated with police, helping to identify users downloading material from a flagged link.
Arrests took place in multiple locations, including Madrid (5), Alicante (4), Barcelona (4), Castellón (3), and Valencia (3), with individual arrests also made in provinces such as Málaga, León, and Asturias.
One Madrid suspect was found using 14 separate cloud accounts to hide material. In Albacete, another man had stored more than 10 gigabytes of child abuse content, both online and through a mobile app.
Alleged sexual assaults also uncovered
While analysing data from suspects’ devices, investigators uncovered two cases of alleged sexual assault involving young children. One of the accused, arrested in Salamanca, is believed to have committed these offences.
In Castellón, a suspect had been using a gaming console to store illegal content. Meanwhile, in Vizcaya, police found a 50GB cloud storage account with 48GB dedicated to child abuse imagery.
Extensive digital evidence seized
Officers confiscated a total of 112 devices across all searches. This included 39 external hard drives, 46 memory cards, 27 USB sticks, 58 mobile phones, 16 laptops, six desktop computers, and two gaming consoles. Investigators also collected relevant documentation.
Police call for continued public vigilance
The operation was led by the Central Cybercrime Unit of the Policía Nacional. In a public statement, they credited the success of the case to a combination of citizen collaboration and cooperation with digital service providers.
Authorities stressed the importance of reporting suspicious online activity. They also reminded the public that tackling online child exploitation requires a joint effort between law enforcement, tech firms, and communities.
If you see something suspicious online, Spanish police encourage you to report it immediately through official channels.
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