NELSON Siacor Turayno looks like your average Jose.
With his mustache, goatee and full beard, the 32-year-old could be mistaken for one of the countless call center agents toiling in the metro who sport the grunge look.
But his plain demeanor hides a sinister secret that had made him number one on Europol’s list of sexual offenders. That is, until his arrest last April by joint forces of the National Bureau of Investigation-Anti-Human Trafficking Division and the Philippine National Police-Women and Child Protection Center (PNP-WCPC) with the support of partner agencies of the Philippine Internet Crimes against Children Center like the Australian Federal Police, the United Kingdom National Crime Agency and nongovernment organization International Justice Mission (IJM).
When authorities found Turayno inside his rented room in Barangay Luz, Cebu City, they seized from his possession thousands of images, including videos depicting children being sexually abused by an adult.
Not only did Turayno allegedly assault his victims, he also filmed the attacks and distributed the videos on the dark web, according to a press statement issued by the IJM.
Although he has been in custody for more than three months, news of his arrest could only be released on Thursday, July 25, 2019, because of ongoing investigations.
Earlier this month, operatives from the PNP-WCPC nabbed a 41-year-old German national inside his house in Sitio Suba-Masulog, Barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City for allegedly sexually abusing and distributing child sexual exploitation materials through the internet.
The foreigner was not identified to protect his son, who is one of the victims.
In both cases, a tip from the Queensland Police Service in Australia led authorities to the suspects.
Their arrest “highlighted the impact of cross-border collaboration between foreign law enforcement in combating the online sexual exploitation of children,” said Armed Forces of the Philippines Assistant Commissioner Debbie Platz, national manager of crime operations.
It sends a strong message to purveyors of similar materials and their clients that no matter who they are or where they come from, the long arm of the law is not far away.