Erico Kusnander

Australian Federal Police (AFP) Operation BARKING OWL is a Victorian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (VIC-JACET) investigation that commenced in September 2025 into the online sexual exploitation of children perpetrated by a Victorian man targeting victims in the Philippines.

On 27 September 2025, the offender was intercepted upon arrival at the Melbourne International Airport by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers, who subsequently located child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on a device in his possession. The offender was arrested and his mobile device seized, triggering a coordinated, multi-agency response that would extend across jurisdictions and result in the identification and safeguarding of overseas victims.

Examination of the offender's mobile device identified extensive and sustained engagement with multiple facilitators based in the Philippines. Analysis revealed that the established relationships between the offender and the facilitators were supported by regular financial transactions in exchange for access to CSAM.
Recognising the scale and transnational nature of the offending, Project PINNACLE coordinated referrals to AFP Global Operations and international law enforcement partners. The collaborative approach directly enabled decisive offshore action and in December 2025, the Philippine National Police (PNP) arrested two females and one male near Davao City, leading to the removal of 11 children from ongoing harm.

The outstanding results attributed to Operation BARKING OWL underscore the critical importance of trusted partnerships, timely intelligence sharing and coordinated operational action. These outcomes were achieved through the collective efforts of ABF, AFP Project PINNACLE, VIC-JACET, AFP Global Operations and various international law enforcement partners - working seamlessly to disrupt offenders, dismantle child exploitation networks and protect vulnerable children.