During a string of recent successful operations in Ecuador to arrest perpetrators of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), one of the most important partners was on scene to help secure justice. Along with provincial and national police, the State Attorney General and even U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, specially trained Our Rescue-sponsored Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) K9 Samai helped authorities gather crucial information to secure arrests.
ESD K9s use their skills to help law enforcement find devices like SD cards, external hard drives and tablets that could potentially contain CSAM. Specifically, these dogs are trained to detect a chemical scent that is found in the glue of the devices.
ESD K9 Samai recently helped in Machala, Ecuador, when an early morning police raid resulted in the arrest of two suspects. With the help of Samai, authorities found hidden electronic devices that held photos that the perpetrator had uploaded to a Google Drive. If Samai had not been present, the full breadth of the CSAM materials might not have been confiscated.
A couple of months later, in Quito, Ecuador, National Police, in coordination with Our Rescue, arrested a man for downloading and sharing CSAM materials. Evidence showed that the perpetrator had downloaded and shared more than 2,400 files of CSAM since 2015. Again, ESD K9 Samai helped in the discovery of digital devices.
Most recently, Samai supported the Chilean Investigative Police (PDI)’s Cybercrimes Unit in the detection of 25 electronic devices across Santiago, Arica, and Rancagua. Over a two-week period, Samai assisted during nine separate arrest warrants, contributing significantly to the investigation and seizure of critical evidence.
All perpetrators now face the possibility of lengthy prison sentences.
Without generous donations to Our Rescue, the use of ESD K9s during operations would not be possible. With so much CSAM existing on smaller and smaller digital devices, training ESD K9s is crucial for discovering evidence that is necessary for the prosecution of predators.
Your donations allow Our Rescue to sponsor the training and provide ESD K9s to police, keeping CSAM – thousands and thousands of files representing real children – from circulating.