Eighth South African suspect arrested for involvement in global child exploitation network

Police have arrested a 25-year-old man from Mossel Bay for the possession and distribution of sexually explicit child exploitation material. He was the eighth South African arrest in a global crackdown.

Sunday newspaper Rapport reports that authorities found an extensive library of illegal content on devices allegedly belonging to the man, who was allegedly involved in a global network of creators and distributors.

According to the report, offenders must share original material to be admitted to the network.

Since his arrest, police have discovered more than 1.2 million potentially illegal photos on his devices.

The paper reported that ten South African victims have been identified by investigators — one from Worcester, three from Mitchells Plain, and six from Gauteng.

Investigating officer Captain Franco Bestbier said the content was so traumatic and explicit that he could only bring himself to look at three of the 48 images found on the suspect’s iPhone.

Bestbier raised concerns about the suspect being granted bail, describing him as a flight risk. He added that he could also warn others involved in the network about the police investigation.

The officer said the broader community would be “shocked” if the 25-year-old were granted bail.

The arrest came as part of a global investigation following the apprehension of the criminal network’s mastermind in the US. The US Department of Homeland Security identified 3,000 of its members.

Although it remains unconfirmed how police caught the suspect, the report notes that the man downloaded about 82,000 photos on a single cell phone, which could mean authorities were monitoring his Internet activity.

In November 2023, the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) told MyBroadband that Internet service providers (ISPs) are generally not required to assist law enforcement with monitoring and intercepting client communications.

However, they are becoming more important in combating and prosecuting illegal and unlawful conduct in the real world.

“An example is the role played by ISPs in addressing gender-based violence in South Africa,” ISPA explained.

“Recent amendments to the Domestic Violence Act require ISPs to take down online material forming part of the domestic violence and to provide information about alleged perpetrators.”

“Similarly, ISPs are obliged to provide information to the courts about people alleged to be guilty of harassment or defaulting on maintenance payments,” it added.

However, interactions between ISPs and law enforcement are heavily regulated.

“ISPA members receive training and support to ensure subscriber personal information is not released to a law enforcement agency other than where a lawful request has been made,” ISPA said.