Five people arrested after a month-long child porn investigation in Merced County
Five people have been arrested after a month-long operation to fight child pornography, Merced County authorities announced Saturday.
During what was called “Operation Child Safe,” investigators recovered more than 1 million images and seized “hundreds of items” related to child pornography and exploitation of children, the Sheriff’s Office stated in a Facebook post.
Detectives identified multiple children that were being victimized through the production of child pornography, authorities said.
In the past two weeks, the Sheriff’s Investigations Unit, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force served search and arrest warrants leading to the apprehension of the five people on suspicion of various crimes including possession and distribution of child pornography.
“Throughout this time the Sheriff’s Office spent numerous hours working to identify victims, suspects, and co-conspirators engaging in the production, distribution, and sharing of child pornography. Several cases will be referred to the US Attorney’s office for their review and potential federal prosecution,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote. “Sheriff’s Investigators are continuing to follow up on investigative leads gained as a result of ‘Operation Child Safe.’”
The suspects were not identified.
