16 arrested in Spain for paying for access to a website that featured child pornography

16 people have been arrested by Spain’s National Police for using cryptocurrency to buy access to a child pornography website on the dark web.

38 nations have participated in this global investigation, which is being directed by Germany and coordinated by Europol. As a result, 1,393 people have been identified, and 79 people have been arrested. Some of the individuals who were arrested also mistreated children. According to a statement from the National Police, the investigation is still ongoing.

Alicante, Almeria, Barcelona, Jaen, Las Palmas, La Rioja, Madrid, Malaga, Murcia, Orense, Seville, Tarragona, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Valencia, and Zaragoza are among the Spanish cities where arrests have been made.

By hiding users’ identities and functioning as a social network, the dark web—particularly the platform under investigation within the TOR network—made it possible to buy and share illegal content.

With 91,000 videos and almost two million members, it was expanding at a rate of three videos every hour. While full films had to be paid for with cryptocurrency, initial access was free. Additionally, there were rewards for rating already-existing content or creating original stuff.

Despite the anonymity of cryptocurrency, German authorities were able to identify the buyers by cracking into the server and tracking down the payments. One person in Spain uploaded a video, and 17 others had bought content.

The National Police claim that people who purchase the content have a higher level of criminal dedication and sophisticated search techniques for illicit materials.

One of those detained in Spain was a student of computer technology who served as a distributor and had access to other platforms of a similar nature.

A detained individual in Alicante was also discovered to be a drug trafficker in possession of 700 ecstasy pills and €42,000 in cash. Several people who were arrested in Barcelona and Madrid had evidence of payment and child pornography. A suspect in Malaga confessed to the crime. A dentist in Murcia used a USB flash drive to save files.

Devices holding illegal material and proof of purchase were discovered in Almería, Orense, Seville, Tarragona, Tenerife, and Zaragoza, leading to additional arrests. One suspect had left Valencia for Paris. Another suspect in Jaén was looked into but not taken into custody. 39 minors were granted protection, and almost 3,000 electronic devices were seized globally.

Europol’s largest anti-child sexual exploitation operation was called Operation Stream. Spain, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States were among the thirty-eight participating nations. One of the world’s biggest networks for disseminating paedophile content was severely damaged by this operation.