The National Police have apprehended six people in Tenerife on charges of child prostitution, sexual assault, and child pornography. The underage girls were allegedly used by the detainees for prostitution in nightclubs, during non-business hours, hotels, and private residences.
The investigation was triggered by a report from an employee at a youth centre who noticed text messages on a teenager's phone suggesting possible involvement in sexual activities.
Quickly responding to the tip, investigators from the National Police's Minor's Unit initiated a series of physical and virtual measures to assess the extent of the situation. They tracked adverts on websites, instant messaging services, and hotel reservations, which revealed the potential exploitation of multiple underage girls.
The statement notes that virtual patrolling and analysis of collected pornographic material allowed investigators to circumvent security measures implemented by the suspects, ultimately identifying six men as the alleged perpetrators of the crimes.
Two of the suspects, who reportedly manage a nightclub in the south of Tenerife where minors were allegedly prostituted, were said to have tried to threaten the victims into concealing their involvement.
Despite these efforts, National Police investigators successfully identified five underage girls as victims, with the possibility of more victims emerging. With judicial authorisation, a police operation involving 50 personnel from various services of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Tenerife resulted in five searches and the arrest of the six men implicated in the investigation.
During the operation, police seized 15 mobile phones, a laptop, and multiple external storage devices. After providing statements, the detainees were remanded to the competent judicial authority, which ordered the imprisonment of three of them.
In a public appeal, the National Police are urging citizens to contribute to combating such crimes by providing confidential information to investigators through the email address denuncias.pornografia.infantil@policia.es.
