Luxury vehicle and R647 000 seized from alleged child pornography couple

The Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) has successfully seized R647 000 and a luxury vehicle linked to child pornography accused Darren Wilken and his girlfriend, Tiona Moodley.

The High Court of South Africa granted the AFU of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) an order on 17 February allowing the preservation of cash seized at the crime scene as well as other cash in a frozen bank account belonging to the couple.

The two were taken into custody after the execution of a search and seizure warrant that the South African Police Service’s (Saps) Cybercrime Unit had obtained on January 17.

Assets seized from child pornography accused couple

Wilken was first taken into custody on charges of manufacturing and distributing child pornography, possession of drugs and money laundering.

The investigation resulted from joint investigations between the Saps and US law enforcement agencies, including the US Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Wilken allegedly ran a child pornography website where potential customers could purchase child sexual abuse material from all across the world.

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He ran this “business” from his home in a complex in Midrand, hosting child pornography on a website that is thought to be the biggest collection of child pornography ever discovered in South Africa, according to the NPA.

Luxury vehicle with ‘KIDZ NA GP’ registration

NPA regional spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane confirmed that Wilken’s luxury vehicle with the registration number KIDZ NA GP has been seized.

She added that the vehicle, high-end electronic equipment and R647 300 in cash were the subjects of the search and seizure warrant.

Moodley, Wilken’s girlfriend and an accomplice, was arrested on suspicion of money laundering and producing and disseminating child pornography stored on a website when the Saps obtained further evidence.

A multidisciplinary international team that included the FBI, Saps, AFU, Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), and US Secret Service worked together to seize the accused’s property.

The duo appeared in the Randburg Regional Court, where their legal representatives launched a bail application. The application was successfully opposed by the State on 14 February.

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The investigation into the matter is ongoing both locally and abroad so as to protect the rights of children, Mjonondwane added.