The National Police raided the home of an Alicante resident as part of a major international probe into child pornography. One year on from his initial arrest, the court overseeing the case has decided not to prosecute the man for the alleged corruption of minors, citing insufficient evidence. He has effectively been cleared of that specific charge. Nevertheless, the court is pursuing a prosecution for drug trafficking, as officers discovered 709 ecstasy pills and 42,070 euro in cash at his property during the search.
The order to commence summary proceedings, issued in June by the magistrate of Court Number 9 of the Alicante Court of First Instance, makes no mention of the original child corruption allegations, focusing solely on the drug trafficking charges. Two months prior to this indictment, the Technological Crimes Unit submitted a report to the court detailing the contents of the suspect’s seized mobile phone; they confirmed that no images or video files relating to the alleged child corruption offences were discovered.
With no evidence of such content found, the court is solely prosecuting him for drug trafficking. The Prosecutor’s Office will now decide whether to request a dismissal or to proceed to an oral trial by issuing a formal indictment.
Last year, according to a police report, the self-employed Alicante resident was among 16 individuals arrested across several provinces for buying access to a child pornography platform on the dark web using cryptocurrency. These arrests formed part of a wider international operation aimed at dismantling one of the world’s most significant platforms for child exploitation, which boasted nearly two million subscribers and 91,000 videos.
The investigation, which was coordinated by Europol and spearheaded by Germany, was carried out across 38 countries. It resulted in 79 arrests and the identification of 1,393 people. By monitoring the dark web, investigators identified a website that functioned as a repository for recordings of child sexual exploitation, which continued to grow through user contributions.
