A 37-year-old Pakistani national has been arrested in Lee County on charges related to the possession and distribution of child pornography, following an extensive cybercrime investigation.
According to Sheriff Jim H. Johnson, the Lee County Sheriff’s Department Criminal Investigation Division received a cyber tip in December 2024 from the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) had alerted authorities after a social media platform reported the suspected distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Following the tip, investigators conducted an extensive probe, obtaining search warrants and subpoenas targeting the social media platform and internet service provider. This led law enforcement to a specific location and suspect in Saltillo, Mississippi.
On March 4, 2025, at approximately 5:45 a.m., officers executed a search warrant at a home off Birmingham Ridge Road in Saltillo. Authorities also carried out an arrest warrant for the suspect, Ali Ahmad, in collaboration with multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Lee County Sheriff’s Department, Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Ahmad was taken into custody and charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Authorities have seized electronic devices from the home, which are undergoing forensic analysis. Additional state charges may be filed, and federal charges are also under consideration as the investigation continues.
This case is the result of a multi-agency effort between the Lee County Sheriff’s Department ICAC investigators, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office ICAC investigators, the 1st District Mississippi District Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security, and the FBI.
