Africa-Press. Senegal’s national police announced the arrest of 14 people in connection with a pedophilia case described by security sources as one of the most disturbing criminal files uncovered in recent years.
The arrests follow investigations launched in France, which led in April to the detention of Pierre R., a businessman from the Oise region, identified as the alleged leader of the network.
Investigators say Pierre R. had been running the network since 2017, luring young Senegalese boys and subjecting them to systematic sexual exploitation. The most serious allegations involve the deliberate injection of HIV into minors, allegedly intended to trap them permanently within the network.
The suspects face charges including the sexual exploitation of children under the age of 15 as part of an organized criminal group, as well as the intentional transmission of HIV.
Senegalese police stated that among those arrested were four so-called “sexual trainers” who admitted their involvement, saying they acted on direct orders from Pierre R. in exchange for financial payments. Raids carried out in Dakar neighborhoods and in cities such as Kaolack and Tivaouane Peul led to the seizure of materials linked to the abuse and the arrest of ten additional suspects connected to the network.
Testimonies collected in France indicate that Pierre R. had for years organized clandestine gatherings involving minors, who were allegedly made available to influential acquaintances, including elected officials and members of law-enforcement agencies.
Pierre R. is currently being prosecuted in France on charges of aggravated pimping, rape of minors, and organized sexual assault.
