INTERPOL-coordinated operation arrests nearly 95 CSAM suspects

Authorities from 17 countries in Latin America and Europe arrested nearly 95 suspects in an INTERPOL-coordinated operation targeting the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) through online messaging groups.

Dubbed International Effort Confluencia, the joint action comprised four law enforcement operations between March 2026 and September 2026. Investigators executed 127 search warrants and rescued a five-year-old victim whose parent had been producing and selling abuse material online.

Authorities in Ecuador found one person in a group sharing CSAM with approximately 15GB of abuse images and more than 4,000 files. In Panama, investigators arrested the administrator of a group distributing abusive material depicting children; the group had more than 700 users. In Argentina, a suspect allegedly in contact with over 260 girls worldwide is accused of threatening victims who refused requests for increasingly explicit content and of sextortion of minors.

INTERPOL said messaging platforms are increasingly used to groom children, coordinate abuse, connect offenders, and receive payment for illegal content. It said seized material is expected to help identify more offenders and children at risk, and lead to further safeguarding action.

INTERPOL Investigation Support Executive Director Stephen Fry said cross-border cooperation between law enforcement and the private sector had become increasingly urgent. He said each recirculation of an abuse image revictimizes the child depicted.