The Civil Guard arrested a 47-year-old man for corruption of minors in Lanzarote, for downloading and uploading child pornography files on the internet.
It was the Technological Investigation Team (EDITE) of the Organic Unit of the Judicial Police of the Las Palmas Command, within the framework of Operation "CEREIXA", who was able to verify the existence of child pornography in the computer material seized on May 7, 2021.
Operation "Cereixa" began on August 6, 2020 after the Organic Unit of the Judicial Police of the Las Palmas Command received information from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, a non-profit organization in the United States of America whose objectives include helping to prevent child sexual exploitation.
The Civil Guard points out that the data provided warned about the alleged uploading of pedophile content files on the Internet from the province of Las Palmas, specifically from the island of Fuerteventura, which is why the EDITE of the Civil Guard immediately carried out investigations aimed at identifying the perpetrator of the reported events.
However, the development of the complex investigation placed the alleged perpetrator on the island of Lanzarote, which is why the necessary evidence was gathered to request a warrant to enter and search his home and proceed with it under the protection of the Court of Instruction No. 2 of Arrecife and the Prosecutor's Office for Computer Crime of the Area (Lanzarote – Fuerteventura)
Analysis of the seized devices
As a result of the intervention of the computer devices by the Technological Investigation Team (EDITE) of the Organic Unit of the Judicial Police of the Civil Guard Command of Las Palmas, the digital forensic analysis of the same was carried out, having to use complex procedures because the pedophile files were protected by concealment measures, in order to hinder their location and the location of the place where the criminal acts were being committed.
The investigated person used a network with a completely anonymous connection that does not allow knowing the location of the user, for the connection and download from the internet of pedophile content files. Due to the complexity involved in the use of such advanced concealment techniques, the investigation lasted almost 2 years.
The Civil Guard of the Las Palmas Command continues to work to prevent child sexual exploitation and assist victims.