Spanish authorities have charged a number of people with the ongoing investigation into child pornography websites funded by crypto on the dark web. The Spanish Civil Guard reportedly shot dead a dark web-based child porn gang that allegedly used cryptocurrency transactions to subscribe to the content.
According to the Spanish Civil Guard, the operation known as "Jekyll" caught three individuals connected to the "Welcome 2 Video" platform. However, the Spanish authorities have received additional reinforcement from the American authorities to eliminate the child pornography gang funded by cryptocurrencies.
Crypto-funded child pornography business on the dark web
Users of the platform would pay using digital currencies such as bitcoin or any other privacy token to access content on the dark web. And the platform has rewarded members for uploading their videos and photos to the dark website. The examination of thousands of cryptocurrency transactions led to the final arrest of the people connected to the site.
In addition, Spanish security forces are said to have arrested an individual in Bilbao, Spain, during Operation Kugantxu. Police say the person was arrested for purchasing and distributing pornographic material in which minors were sexually raped live on demand. The name of the site has not yet been revealed.
International cooperation against child pornography
In particular, the Civil Guard claims that the dark website is operated by people based in the Philippines. Once informed, the Philippine Transnational Criminal Investigation Unit was able to recognize the content shared by individuals. The Spanish authorities have also conducted an operation called "kiru" which resulted in the arrest of a man based in Madrid for desecrating his stepdaughter 16 years.
The large international operation led to the identification of 20 people based in the United States; Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Peru. In addition, earlier this month, a South Korean court ordered the freezing of all crypto assets and digital wallets belonging to Cho Ju-bin, the suspect behind Nth Room, a child pornography channel based on Telegram.
Resources