DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE NEWS RELEASE
The New Mexico Department of Justice (NMDOJ) today announced the conclusion of Operation Midnight Harvest, a proactive undercover operation conducted October 15 through 17, 2026, by the Special Investigations Bureau’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit. The operation resulted in the arrest and charging of 10 men who allegedly solicited (online) individuals they believed to be minors and arranged to meet them.
Trained investigators assumed covert online identities and engaged in monitored conversations on digital platforms where unlawful activity was suspected. The goal was to identify and intercept individuals attempting to exploit children in the Albuquerque metro area. No real children were involved in the operation as the NMDOJ created decoy accounts.
“We are going to do everything in our power to make kids safer online and Operation Midnight Harvest is just the latest example of our commitment to tracking down predators in New Mexico and holding them accountable,” said Attorney General Raúl Torrez. “The NMDOJ is a national leader in online child safety and our special agents in the internet crimes unit is working around the clock to protect kids and families.”
Each defendant is charged with child solicitation by electronic communication device, a third-degree felony under NMSA 1978, Section 30-37-3.2. One defendant faces an additional misdemeanor charge of resisting, evading, or obstructing an officer.
The NMDOJ thanks its law enforcement partners for their contributions to Operation Midnight Harvest. Participating agencies included the Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Santa Fe Police Department, and Edgewood Police Department. The operation depended on coordinated work across all of these agencies, and the NMDOJ is grateful for their professionalism and commitment to protecting children.
The investigation was brought as a part of the NMDOJ’s ICAC Division, whose mission is to locate, track, and capture internet child sexual predators and internet child pornographers in New Mexico. There are 86 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies associated with the New Mexico ICAC Division, which is funded by a grant administered by the NMDOJ. Anyone with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse is encouraged to contact federal or local law enforcement.
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