The National Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office of Paraguay launched Operation Omega this Monday (18), a large operation against the trading of child pornography mediated by cryptocurrencies. The action, coordinated by the Specialized Department for Cybercrime Investigation and the Regional Office for Economic and Financial Crimes of Alto Paraná, with support from prosecutors Diana Gómez and Ruth Benítez, resulted in the arrest of William De Souza at a property in the city of Santa Rita.
The criminal organization used social networks, clandestine forums, encrypted messages, cloud storage, and P2P networks with VPN to distribute the material. To receive payments, those involved demanded cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Monero, and Ethereum, aiming to hinder financial tracking. During the investigation, over 35,000 illicit files related to child sexual abuse were detected.
The suspects may face charges for child pornography, distribution of child sexual abuse material, money laundering, and criminal association. Operation Omega is part of an international effort to combat child sexual exploitation in digital environments, with coordination among nine countries.