CATANIA – The Catania District Attorney's Office has coordinated one of the largest operations ever carried out in Italy against the sexual exploitation of minors online: the action, conducted by State Police, has seen more than 100 people involved 500 Postal Police officers, which they performed over 100 searches in 56 city and brought to the arrest of 34 Guests.
The charges levelled against the suspects concern the possession of large quantities of child pornography, seized inside numerous computer devices containing tens of thousands of illegal files. The complex and detailed investigation was conducted with an undercover activity on a well-known instant messaging platform. This allowed the specialists of the Postal Police to unmask various groups dedicated to the exchange of child pornography material, including images of children abused as children and even episodes of zooerasty with minor victims.
Thanks to sophisticated technical analysis, investigators have managed to overcome the barriers of anonymity on the Internet, also with the support of Investigative insights abroad arranged by the Catania Public Prosecutor's Office. Most of the suspects used advanced encryption and cloud storage systems to hide the illicit material, making its recovery extremely complex. However, the use of cutting-edge digital forensic tools It has allowed us to trace digital paths and decrypt protected data, obtaining decisive evidence for ascertaining crimes.
Those arrested reside in various Italian provinces, including Catania, Naples, Rome, Milan, Florence, Reggio Calabria, Lecce and TurinThe searches involved numerous cities, from Palermo to Verona, from Bologna to Bari, involving subjects from different social backgrounds, all men aged between And 21 59 years.
Particularly disturbing is the case of two arrested people, found in possession not only of thousands of child pornography files, but also of Self-produced videos and images featuring child sexual abuse. Thanks to the intervention of the investigators, the victims have already been identified and secured.
Article published on 28 February 2025 - 11:47
It is truly alarming that there are so many cases of sexual exploitation of minors in Italy, I hope that the police continue to carry out these operations to stop these crimes and protect the children who are the victims.