A major police operation targeting the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse materials has concluded in Spain. During the investigation, officers from the National Police detained 16 individuals in 12 different provinces across the country.
Among those arrested was a secondary school teacher from Barcelona, as well as two men from Cáceres and Lugo, who were taken into custody due to the particularly serious nature of the videos found in their possession. During the searches, authorities seized thousands of files containing images and videos documenting serious sexual crimes against minors, along with other humiliating and violent scenes.
Special attention was given to a resident of Girona who, according to investigators, distributed more than 85,000 files. In his home, police discovered binoculars and evidence that he had photographed and filmed children in the schoolyard from the windows of his apartment.
As part of the investigation, police identified 21 suspects, 16 of whom were detained in Girona, Barcelona, Cáceres, Castellón, Asturias, Las Palmas, Lugo, Madrid, Gipuzkoa, Cantabria, Valencia, and Pontevedra. Five additional suspects are still under investigation but have not yet been arrested—they live in Madrid, Málaga, Navarra, and Valladolid.
The investigation became possible thanks to international cooperation, particularly with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Joint efforts enabled authorities to identify suspects and trace their activities.
The operation began after specialists from the National Police’s cybercrime unit detected the exchange of prohibited materials via Peer To Peer (P2P) file-sharing networks. These platforms allow users worldwide to share various files, including images, videos, music, and documents, among which illegal content may sometimes be found.
Police remind the public that in Spain there is a dedicated email address for anonymously reporting cases of possession or distribution of child pornography. Citizens are strongly advised not to store or share such materials, as this constitutes a criminal offense.
