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In a shocking revelation, undercover police posing as parents selling their children for sex arrested eight individuals last month. The operation, Operation Overwatch, aimed to crack down on predators seeking to exploit children. However, the investigation also highlighted an alarming issue: parents in the community allegedly engaging in such crimes remain at large.There are parents and guardians in New Mexico and, frankly, all over the world, who are actively engaged in trading their children for sex, said Attorney General Raul Torrez. They are basically pimping them out for their own financial benefit.Deep dive: Target 7 InvestigatesThe Operation and ArrestsThe undercover operation used decoy accounts on social media platforms to lure suspects. Police posed as parents offering children for sale and arranged meetings at designated locations.Its a bit of an adrenaline rush because you kind of cant believe its working, because who would be so stupid, right? said Kyle Hartsock, who oversaw the undercover operation and used to be an undercover agent. We skim the surface with these arrests, right? We got the very, very top of the sea foam right now.Hartstock said the confidence of the suspects indicates that many may have engaged in similar activities before. This was probably not their first conversation on doing this, he said.Among those arrested included a teacher and a soccer coach. Each suspect is being held in jail until their trials, with judges citing the danger they posed. I do find that this defendant does pose a threat to the safety of others, Judge David A. Murphy said shortly before he ruled that Matthew Jaramillo, an accountant, remain behind bars till trial.Follow us on social: Facebook | X/Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeChallenges in Targeting ParentsDespite the operation’s success in capturing buyers, police have struggled to identify and arrest parents who are allegedly exploiting their children.Its a much easier operation for our law enforcement officers to put together when they are able to create a decoy account, Torrez said. And theyre looking for people who are responding to those kinds of messages.Torrez emphasized the difficulty in tracking down real offenders in a digital age where encryption shields online activity. He has sued social media companies, including Meta, for policies that hinder investigations. The day after we filed our lawsuit against Meta, they announced that they were encrypting all the communications on their message end, Torrez said. They had never done it before. By encrypting messages, platforms effectively erase evidence, making it hard for law enforcement to access critical information, even with a search warrant, Torrez said.They have intentionally blinded themselves to the one space within their platform that is the primary means for these kinds of parents to direct sick individuals who might be interested in sex with their children, Torrez said.Technology as a Double-Edged SwordWhile encryption complicates investigations, police are leveraging other tools to extract data from suspects devices. Forensic examiners from a company called Cellebrite were present during the operation, using technology to access suspects phones.We can essentially see everything, said Heather Barnhart, a forensic examiner. However, encrypted applications remain a barrier. They have figured out some ways around that. Barnhart said they can still tell a lot.What cant we tell about you? And thats actually the reality, she said. Our phones know every single thing about us.” Action 7 News On The Go: Download our app for freeA Call to ActionTorrez said it is not out of the realm to see parents behind bars soon.Any parent who is engaged in this kind of horrific behavior should be on notice that the New Mexico Department of Justice and our special agents and our law enforcement partners are actively looking for them.