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Tres investigadores de espaldas examinan teléfonos y memorias incautadas sobre una mesa en una sala de operaciones nocturna
Imagen alusiva al operativo contra la red de distribución de material de abuso infantil y al examen de los dispositivos incautados. · Imagen generada por EPM

De la Espriella seeks justice after child abuse network falls

Five men were captured in Bogotá, Soacha and Villavicencio accused of selling child sexual abuse files in private messaging groups.

--- The context --- The capture of five men accused of selling child sexual abuse files in private messaging groups has put the protection of children and adolescents back at the center of public concern. According to the authorities, the case involved paid access, organized distribution and closed digital communities used to conceal the circulation of the material, a pattern that makes reporting and careful digital investigation especially important. --- The facts --- The Attorney General Office and the National Police reported the results of Operation 9/11, carried out in Bogotá, Soacha and Villavicencio. Simultaneous operations led to the arrests and to the seizure of cell phones, USB memory devices and other equipment, which remain under technical examination. Prosecutors attribute to the defendants a possible role in storing, selling and spreading the files under investigation. The investigation began after a citizen complaint in September 2024, following an alert about a messaging group where videos of sexual exploitation of minors were offered. The Dijín, with support from prosecutors, carried out nine infiltrations in digital communities and followed financial movements linked to accounts that received payments. The investigated activity reportedly took place between July 24, 2024 and January 31, 2025. --- The positions --- President Abelardo de la Espriella asked that those responsible be brought before justice and said, in attributed indirect terms, that nobody messes with children and that protecting them is an absolute priority. He warned that those who exploit, sell or consume this content will be identified and pursued, with no anonymity or impunity. Delegate Deicy Jaramillo said the content reportedly reached more than 140 people and stressed that each file prolongs the harm to victims. --- What remains unknown --- Prosecutors said the private groups called 2033 and CVPA had approximately 90 and 59 members respectively, close to 149 users in total. The Dijín identified 461 videos in the communities examined, while prosecutors link the network to more than 600 videos and photographs. Administrators charged between 20,000 to 50,000 pesos for access and offered packages of up to 600 videos, and officials still examine whether other spaces were used individually. --- Unanswered questions --- Will the technical examination of the seized devices identify more buyers or administrators in these communities? Will authorities be able to establish whether the defendants used other digital spaces to distribute files individually? What support measures will victims receive while the criminal process moves forward? --- EPM analysis --- The strongest element of this operation is its investigative path: a citizen complaint, virtual infiltrations and financial tracking turned a private alert into arrests and detention for the five defendants. Prosecutors from Uuenna charged child pornography involving a person under 18 years old and sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, and Milton Darwin Bohórquez Alfonso accepted the charges. The difference between official counts does not change the core finding. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, protecting children requires sustaining this kind of patient, technical and verifiable investigation, because the harm does not end when sellers are captured, since it continues every time a file circulates again. The decisive step will be ensuring that device examinations, buyer identification and prosecution produce complete accountability, without turning public outrage into a brief episode or a message without lasting judicial consequences for everyone who sustained this network.
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