Iowa law enforcement officers arrested two men Friday in a child pornography investigation. Matt Whitaker, U.S. Attorney for Iowa’s Southern District, says the arrests occured as agents served 15 search warrants across the bottom half of the state from Council Bluffs to Davenport. He says the investigation, dubbed "Operation Wire Breaker," involves individuals who are suspected of possession and distribution of pictures and videos of children being sexually exploited.
Both men arrested Friday are charged with Distribution of Child Pornography. They’re identified as 40-year-old Hugo Alberto Duran-Garcia of West Des Moines and 53-year-old Ralph Johnston of Clemmons. Whitaker declined to release much more information at a Friday afternoon press conference. "Most of the details are not known yet, because all we did today was execute search warrants at 15 different addresses," Whitaker said.
Although only two arrests were made, the effort involved more than 120 law enforcement officer from 22 different agencies. "I will say that I think members of law enforcement were concerned enough that we wanted to do something…and move this investigation forward," Whitaker explained. He says more arrests are possible, calling it an open federal investigation.