Large-scale operation against distribution of child pornography, a pilot and IT specialists among the arrested

A large-scale operation is being carried out on November 18 across the country against the distribution of child pornography. So far, 13 people have been detained on 24-hour remand. Five are detained in Sofia, 8 - in other places, including Varna, Devnya, Elin Pelin, Pernik, Haskovo. This is not an organised crime group, but individuals who do not know each other.

This became clear from a joint briefing of the Deputy Prosecutor General and Director of the National Investigation Service Borislav Sarafov, the spokesperson of the Prosecutor General Siyka Mileva and Svetoslav Vassilev, head of the Cybercrime Department at the National Investigation Service.

Among those arrested are a civil aviation pilot from a well-known low-budget airline, IT-specialists, a forklift driver, a metal worker, a general worker, a sports shop owner, a car mechanic, an electrician, a property valuer and others. These are men between 30 and 40 years old, but there are also around 60 years old. About 50% are married with children, most are of good financial standing. Their profiles show that some of them are willing to move from the virtual world to the real world and to infringe on our children, Sarafov said.

About 20 addresses were searched simultaneously at 7.00 this morning. Telephones, computers, flash drives, etc. were seized.

Videos and photos of brutal scenes of sexual abuse with children aged 2 to 10 were found. The children are from former Soviet republics or from the Far East - Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia. It is being checked whether there are children from Bulgaria as well.

Two of the detainees were found to be actively sharing child pornography files in the exclusive vicinity of a home for children deprived of parental care. It is currently being checked whether one of the victims is a Bulgarian citizen and whether he was in the videos, Svetoslav Vassilev specified.

The data collected so far shows that most of the scenes were filmed where the children are from, the investigators said.

Charges will be filed within the day. The penalty for this crime is up to 6 years of imprisonment.

The operation was ordered by Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev, with the participation of prosecutors and investigators from the National Investigation Service.

Geshev thanked the investigators from the National Investigation Service and prosecutors from all over the country and the Ministry of Interior who have protected Bulgarian children.

The real legal reform, he said, is just that - to increase the penalties for distributing pornographic material.