Two men were charged and one was arrested in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina, accused of possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (MASI). The operation was carried out by agents of the Federal Investigations Department (DFI) of the Argentine Federal Police (PFA). The investigation into the first case began in February of this year following a request from the Early Intervention Unit for Family and Gender Violence, led by Graciela Trill. In this instance, the magistrate tasked the Mar del Plata Federal Operational Unit (DUOF) to conduct investigative tasks at a residence where the existence of material depicting sexual acts of minors under 18 was suspected. Based on that order, investigators conducted field work and cyber-patrolling on various social networks, managing to identify a user who was allegedly storing child sexual abuse material in a property on Alfonsina Storni Street. With the evidence gathered, Mar del Plata's Guarantees Court No. 4, led by Juan Tapia, ordered the search of the residence to seize the illicit material: 'During the operation, the suspect was notified of the case, and a notebook, a hard drive, eight black plastic boxes with numerous CDs, and a USB drive were seized.' Nevertheless, after analyzing the evidence, the accused was ordered to be detained in recent hours and will remain in preventive custody at Unit No. 44 Penal in Batán. This measure was determined after confirming that the accused had a conversation through the Zangi application with a presumed woman in which he expressed the desire to have children to abuse them sexually. In a parallel case, and within the framework of another investigation also led by Graciela Trill, authorities moved against a second social media user who exhibited material of similar characteristics. It was determined that the accused 'shared photos and videos with sexual content featuring boys and girls under the age' and resided in a home on Lanzillota Street, also in Mar del Plata. With the evidence gathered, Mar del Plata's Judicial Department Guarantees Court No. 5, led by Gabriel Bombini, issued the search warrant order. A young man, 20, was notified of the case, and a notebook and a cell phone were seized. Both accused, of Argentine nationality and adults, are at the disposal of the intervening courts, accused of violating Article 128 of the Penal Code and Law 27.436, which penalizes the possession and distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material.
