NORTHERN LUZON, Philippines — Three courts in the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya convicted a man for trafficking minors and selling child sexual abuse materials.
In May 2023, a concerned citizen reported Teddy Jay Mejia to one of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Facebook channels.
READ: Trafficker imprisoned for life for online child sexual abuse
Authorities immediately investigated the trafficker and confirmed he lured minors into sending explicit photos of themselves for money.
Online sex trafficker sentenced to over 400 years in prison
Mejia used these images to blackmail them into sending more, even threatening to harm their families.
Worse, he distributed these materials to paying customers.
Mejia also went beyond online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) by trafficking some victims and subjecting them sexual abuses.
Authorities say the trafficker victimized more than 100 individuals across the Philippines.
He was in Dubai when the police investigation began.
Nevertheless, the police were able to hunt and arrest Mejia.
“We have well-trained and dedicated law enforcers committed to tracking down these perpetrators,” said Brig. Gen. Portia Manalad, Chief of the Philippine National Police – Women and Children Protection Center.
“Anyone who thinks they can evade justice is mistaken. They will find themselves in jail sooner than they expect.”
Mejia faced 11 charges of human trafficking and 15 charges for violation of the Anti-OSAEC and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act.
These were filed separately before different courts, including Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 29 and RTC Branch 37 in Nueva Vizcaya and RTC Branch 88 in Nueva Ecija.
Between February 17 and March 17, 2025, Mejia was convicted by different courts after he pleaded guilty to lesser offenses.
As a result, the online sex trafficker received a total sentence of over 400 years.
Mejia was also ordered to pay ₱10 million in fines and damages.
Furthermore, some of his customers were convicted by the court for availing of his services, perpetrating the exploitation.
Regional Prosecutor Rommel Baligod of the Office of the Regional Prosecutor, Region 2, said:
“The conviction of Teddy Mejia demonstrates the eagerness and determination of the government to combat this monstrous crime of human trafficking and OSAEC.”
“With the help of the community and with our unified and determined efforts, online sexual abusers of children have nowhere to hide.”