National police officers in Elche detained a 25 year old man on suspicions of sexual exploitation of minors and production of child pornography. The arrest followed an investigation by the Elicitana Police Station, which demonstrated that the suspect, a Spanish national, used Instagram accounts to contact minors while posing as the operator of a professional photo studio. He allegedly coaxed minors with manipulative tactics to send increasingly sexual photographs and videos, all while the individuals were under the age of consent according to police reports.
Authorities carried out a search of the detainee’s home, locating a substantial collection of pornographic images and videos involving minors on both local storage devices and cloud accounts. Access to these materials had been restricted by the authorities, and the Elche Investigation Court authorized the seizure. The operation took place on a well-known street in the El Pla neighborhood, as part of a broader crackdown on online exploitation networks.
During the same operation, a second suspect, a 20 year old man, was arrested for providing a means of payment to facilitate the collection and online sale of sexual content involving minors. A 17 year old Spanish boy was also arrested for attempting to recruit additional minors into the scheme and for sending pornographic images to the person running the online studio. Investigators indicated that the activity was financially motivated and that commissions were paid for each successful engagement or transaction.
The arrests were conducted by the UCRIF Group of the Elche Police Station Immigration and Borders Brigade, in collaboration with the Alicante Technological Crimes Group. The operation fell under the code name Reflex and targeted individuals connected to a network that exploited young victims for profit. The operation is part of ongoing efforts to identify and dismantle similar networks that recruit and exploit minors online.
The detainee was presented to the Elche Guards Training Court and received a temporary detention order. In contrast, two other individuals linked to the case were released after filing criminal complaints, pending further judicial action. The authorities emphasized that investigations are continuing to determine the full scope of the network and to identify any additional victims or participants involved in the scheme as of the latest available reports.