French Duo Arrested in Perpignan for Running 23-Year Child Pornography Ring in Spain

Suspected of having run a real child pornography industry in Spain for 23 years, a sexagenarian and a septuagenarian were arrested last Wednesday in Perpignan, putting an end to a three-year manhunt. The arrest of the first suspect took place during a cash withdrawal in Perpignan. The second was arrested at their home in Amélie-les-Bains, in the Pyrénées-Orientales, reports Europe 1. During the search, the police seized more than 20,000 euros in cash, as well as fake papers, a computer and USB keys.

The couple was at the head of a child pornography network with more than 500 users. It had settled in Catalonia, and had branches throughout Spain, but also in Morocco, Romania, and Thailand. In 2016, the Spanish police managed to dismantle the network. In total, three million child pornography files were seized, 103 victims identified, most of them Moroccan minors, paid ten or twenty euros for filmed sexual acts, sometimes held captive for several days. Arrested with five other accomplices, they were released under judicial supervision before their trial opened in 2019. A propitious moment for these two men. They fled. Spain had then issued a European arrest warrant against them.