In the province of Buenos Aires and the Federal Capital, over 30 raids were conducted as part of 'Operation Child Shield' against pedophilia. Two individuals were apprehended, 19 were charged, and important evidence was seized. The operation was part of a judicial investigation into the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The investigation began in October 2025 following a report from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), channeled through Google Inc., which alerted to the detection of child sexual abuse material hosted on Google Drive, linked to an email account. Through the analysis of IP connection records, a residence in the city of Quilmes was located where a 19-year-old young man lived, leading to a raid and the seizure of a mobile phone. According to information provided to the Argentine News Agency, the forensic examination confirmed the existence of 122 multimedia files with illicit content, as well as the accused's active participation in a WhatsApp group called 'The Forbidden,' which had approximately 715 members. It was determined that this group functioned as a structured criminal organization 'dedicated to the systematic request, exchange, and distribution of child sexual abuse material,' with the participation of both adults and minors, which significantly aggravates the investigated scheme. In light of the findings, procedures were expanded to 31 targets in Buenos Aires and one in the Federal Capital. The operation concluded with 19 charged individuals, two apprehended, and seized items: 65 cell phones, 10 notebooks, a submachine gun, a revolver, a pistol, a digital camera, four storage devices, and four tablets. The case is under the direction of Prosecutor Ernesto Daniel Ichazo, head of UFIJ No. 8 of the Quilmes Judicial Department, with the intervention of Guarantees Court No. 3, presided over by Marcelo Javier Goldberg, within the framework of a case captioned 'crime against sexual integrity – art. 128 of the Penal Code'.
