An elderly man from Doral was taken into custody on Tuesday for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse material, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Law enforcement officials have apprehended a 73-year-old individual named Idelfonso Ramirez Sanchez as a result of a thorough covert operation aimed at curbing the dissemination of illicit material in South Florida.
An investigation was launched in June by the FDLE’s Miami cyber-crime squad, in collaboration with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Authorities have been working diligently to identify devices within the South Florida area that are involved in sharing child sexual abuse material online.
An operation utilizing cutting-edge cyber-tracking techniques has resulted in the discovery of a residence in Doral, as stated in an FDLE news release.
Investigators said that on Tuesday, a search warrant was executed at Ramirez Sanchez’s home by a team of FDLE agents, analysts, and the Special Operations Team.
Officials have confirmed that a recent search operation led to the confiscation of several electronic devices believed to have been involved in the downloading and sharing of illegal content. Investigators have discovered 570 files containing child sexual abuse material during a preliminary forensic analysis of the seized devices. These files were traced back to Ramirez Sanchez’s IP address.
Authorities have discovered disturbing files containing explicit content involving young children, some as young as 2 to 8 years old.
According to the news release, Ramirez Sanchez has been apprehended and is now being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Detention Center. He is currently facing 10 counts related to the possession of child sex abuse material.
Authorities are considering the possibility of additional charges as they continue to analyze the seized devices.
Ramirez Sanchez was granted a $25,000 bond following their appearance before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer in court on Wednesday.
According to FDLE officials, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office has been instrumental in the pre-arrest preparation and is now in charge of prosecuting the case.
FDLE officials are reminding parents and guardians to stay vigilant about their children’s online activities as the investigation progresses.