SAN JOSE, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Costa Rican police Thursday arrested five members of a criminal gang dedicated to producing child pornography in a joint operation with Mexican counterparts, the country's judicial research bureau OIJ announced.
According to Walter Espinoza, OIJ director, the operation was carried in the Costa Rican cities of Heredia and San Jose.
The gang conducted illegal activities by advertising "promotions related to modelling, directed mainly at minors." It took videos and photographs of minors through "threats, intimidation or physical violence" and posted the contents on both the regular and the deep web.
Espinoza said viewers paid a membership fee between 500 to 600 U.S. dollars to access the photographs and videos.
In Costa Rica, 26 victims have been identified, but the number may rise as operations continue.
Espinoza stressed that Thursday's operation was carried out very well and boosted by close cooperation with the Mexican authorities and the International Criminal Police Organization.
