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[CRIME] · Italy · 35 sources

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Italy dismantles transnational child pornography network on Telegram

Italian authorities have dismantled a transnational criminal organization dedicated to the online distribution of child pornography through ‘Operation Fly Trap’. The investigation, which began in 2024, was coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of the Rome Prosecutor's Office and conducted by the National Center for the Contrast of Online Child Pornography (Cncpo).

The operation was initiated following international cooperation and intelligence shared by the U.S. agency Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) regarding a private Telegram group known as ‘New Saga’. This community, which included over 1,000 participants, operated with strict rules where access and continued membership required either the sharing of new illegal material or payments made via cryptocurrency.

Law enforcement executed 23 searches across various locations, resulting in 17 arrests, 10 of which were made in flagrante delicto. Authorities seized approximately 282.9 gigabytes of illegal content, comprising over 22,000 videos and 34,000 images. The investigation also led to the seizure of roughly 200 digital devices, including smartphones, computers, and tablets.

Entities

Banca del Fucino · Banco di Napoli · Cassazione · Centro Nazionale per il Contrasto alla Pedopornografia Online · Claudio Lotito · Direzione Distrettuale Antimafia di Roma · Federico De Matteis · Homeland Security Investigations · Mauro Masi · New Saga · Olinto Bonalumi · Polizia di Stato

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