MEXICAN cops have arrested a Dutch citizen accused of being the leader of an international paedophile ring, said the Mexico City attorney-general (AG) yesterday.

The man, identified only as Nelson “N”, was caught “in flagrante delicto”, said AG Ernestina Godoy, adding that he is the “possible leader of an international association of paedophiles created in 1982”.

The arrest is the result of a “broad investigation” by prosecutors in collaboration with Operation Underground Railroad, she said in a video posted on social media.

The non-governmental organisation, dedicated to combating the sexual exploitation of children, reported the Dutchman’s presence to authorities.

The group “had information that Nelson ‘N’ was in our country, possibly to expand his human trafficking and child pornography network”, said Godoy.

The investigation observed his “modus operandi and location” and made it possible to determine his routines, aimed at getting in touch with other possible paedophiles.

“A covert operation was carried out that allowed him to be detained in flagrante delicto at a public transport station near the Bosque de Chapultepec central park,” said Godoy.

The prosecutor’s office is working on the investigation, which will be presented before a judge, and it has requested consular assistance to “safeguard his rights as a foreigner”.

After arresting the suspect, authorities searched the place where he is believed to be staying in the north of the city and found photographs featuring child pornography, computers, hard drives, memory cards and two Dutch passports.

According to the investigation, the subject promoted various publications on social media that advocated the legalisation of sex with children between 2014 and 2021.

Nelson “N” had been arrested several times in the Netherlands, but had been on the run since at least February, said the prosecutor. – AFP, June 7, 2022.