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Customs crackdown on child abuse images nets four men in New Zealand

Xinhua, February 17, 2017 Adjust font size:

Four men have been charged in New Zealand with importing or exporting child sexual abuse material in a Customs crackdown on child exploitation this year.

Customs profiling prompted the questioning a 47-year-old New Zealand resident at Auckland Airport on Jan. 13, said a statement from Customs Friday.

Officers located child sexual abuse material on his phone and a search search revealed more objectionable publications on his home computer.

He faced charges for importing and possessing objectionable material.

A week later, Customs and police investigators arrested and charged a 30-year-old man with being involved in exporting and distributing, or uploading, child sexual abuse material using a common messaging application.

The arrest of the man in the far northern town of Warkworth was the result of an ongoing Customs investigation into online offending and intelligence from the New Zealand Police.

Late last month, Customs officers questioned a 63-year-old dual New Zealand-United Kingdom citizen returning from overseas and detained his electronic devices for further examination.

Customs investigators arrested the man after forensic analysis located objectionable publications and he faced importation and possession charges.

Earlier this month, investigators from Customs and the Department of Internal Affairs arrested a 67-year-old Auckland man for exporting objectionable publications using an online chatroom.

He faced charges for exporting and distributing objectionable publications.

Customs investigations manager Maurice O'Brien said combating child exploitation was a high priority, whether it was someone carrying sexual abuse images and videos across the border or offending by uploading, downloading or sharing such material over the virtual border.

"Customs uses intelligence and technology to identify travelers who may be carrying objectionable publications, and we have a small team of dedicated investigators who identify online offending," O'Brien said in the statement.

"Forensic examination of e-devices, detained at the airport or seized at a search warrant, contributes to the evidence gathered for prosecution." Endit