Mexico: Here’s How a Dog Helped Arrest a Suspected Pedophile in Mexico City

Dutch national Nelson Maatman is a notorious pedophile and internationally wanted criminal. Deemed a "Danger to Children," he has fled the Netherlands and an international manhunt for him has been launched. However, Nelson Maatman would fall to an unlikely 4-legged hero in Mexico City.

Maatman openly advocated for people having sexual relationships with minors, and he was also very open about his sexual activities on the internet. Because of these activities, he became a wanted man in the Netherlands. He would then flee the country and go into hiding.

The Associated Press reported that Maatman would choose to hide in Mexico, where he thought that law enforcement would be quite lax. However, Netherlands-based anti-human trafficking group Free a Girl would tip the U.S.-based Operation Underground Railroad where he is hiding. With the help of the very Mexican law enforcement he had underestimated, as well as the adorable black police dog named Hidu, Maatman would soon be captured.

Goodest Boy Hidu Is a U.S.-trained K9 That Sniffs Out Electronic Devices

Hidu has become the hero of this story. He is a black Labrador Retriever that recently graduated from the Jordan Detection K9 Academy in Indianapolis, Indiana. The same K9 training school also trained Bear, who was instrumental in the capture of former Subway spokesman Jared Fogle, who is also infamous for pedophilia.

As for Hidu himself, he specializes in sniffing out triphenylphosphine oxide, or TPPO, which is used as a chemical coating in electronic devices such as flash drives. While the amount of TPPO used in electronic devices is small, it still has enough odor that sensitive sniffing dogs can still detect them. This is instrumental for Hidu being able to track and help capture Maatman. This is also the K9's first mission outside of the United States.

Todd Jordan, who trained Hidu at the Jordan Detection K9 Academy, started out training dogs to sniff out accelerants like gasoline, which were often used for arson cases. However, as the world gets more and more technologically advanced, he has been branching out, eventually training electronics detection dogs. According to CBS News, he has now trained 83 electronics detection dogs as of writing. Jordan himself has stated that electronics detection dogs have now surpassed accelerant canines, as the need for them has risen, with internet crime also on the rise.

Operation Underground Railroad and Mexican Authorities Tracked Nelson Maatman via Chatrooms

Mexico City may not be the safest place in the world, but Nelson Maatman did choose to hide there because of the thousands of crimes that go unresolved each day. He thought that just by hiding there, he could wait it out when the heat on him has cooled down. However, he stayed in a dingy apartment in a neighborhood where he stood out like a sore thumb.

Following the tip from Free a Girl, Operation Underground Railroad would then set up a plan to capture the known pedophile. They used chatrooms and social media to get him to bite, and bite he did. Operation Underground Railroad Global Operations director Matt Osborne said that they confirmed that Maatman was indeed in Mexico City, though he used different chatrooms than usual.

Maatman was still very careful though, opting to meet in a secluded bus station last June 5. And as he showed up, Mexican authorities were quick to capture him. They also found a pistol and several doses of cocaine in his possession. He is currently imprisoned by Mexican authorities for human trafficking charges, as well as drug and illegal weapons possession charges.

After he was captured, a warrant to search his apartment was issued, and police, including Hidu and his handler, were able to search his apartment. With the help of Hidu sniffing out hidden electronics devices, police found Maatman's cellphone, hidden well with dirty laundry. They also found 4 terabytes worth of child pornography in his apartment as well. Mexican Prosecutors were quick to praise Operation Underground Railroad, as well as Hidu, for their help in Maatman's capture.

In a Facebook post, Operation Underground Railroad would also praise Hidu for his actions.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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