Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
National

47 Canadians charged in global investigation

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 02 Mar, 2022 01:19 PM
  • 47 Canadians charged in global investigation

Forty-seven Canadians have been arrested and 12 children have been removed from abusive situations as part of a global investigation into online child sexual exploitation, the RCMP said Wednesday.

The Mounties said 186 charges have been laid in Canada so far during the investigation, dubbed Operation H. Arrests have been made in eight provinces over the past two years, they said, adding the investigation is still underway.

The RCMP say the probe began in New Zealand in the fall of 2019, after law enforcement officials there were alerted by an electronic service provider who had discovered a large number of subscribers sharing "some of the most graphic and violent child sexual abuse material online."

Some 90,000 accounts were identified as possessing or sharing child sexual abuse material, they said.

"Online child sexual exploitation is borderless and is among the most heinous crimes targeting our most vulnerable – our children. ... Operation H is a prime example of how global collaboration can help all of our countries to protect children," RCMP Supt. Andre Boileau of the National Child Exploitation Crime Centre said in a news release.

New Zealand authorities said in a statement that the child abuse material "is some of the most egregious investigators have been exposed to. Many of the children featured in the images and videos were just infants who were exposed to obvious and intentional pain and suffering."

The international investigation has led to the arrests of dozens of suspects in New Zealand, and the safeguarding of 146 children around the world, they and the European Union police agency Europol said Wednesday.

More than 800 cases have been opened internationally and more than 100 suspects identified across the EU, Europol said.

Toronto police, who were contacted as part of the probe, said they have arrested and charged six men with a total of 18 offences, including some related to possessing, accessing and distributing child sex abuse material.

Toronto police Insp. Justin Vander Heyden of the sex crimes unit said one of the accused has since been convicted and jailed, one has died, and the other four are still going through the justice system.

The suspects are between the ages of 31 and 41.

MORE National ARTICLES

Governor General tests positive for COVID-19

Governor General tests positive for COVID-19
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon says in a statement on Twitter that she tested positive Wednesday morning and is experiencing mild symptoms. Simon says she will continue to self-isolate and take some time to rest in the coming days.

Governor General tests positive for COVID-19

Toxic drug deaths in B.C. highest ever in 2021

Toxic drug deaths in B.C. highest ever in 2021
Lisa Lapointe said 2,224 suspected overdose deaths were recorded in the province in 2021, a 26 per cent rise over the previous year. There were 215 deaths in December, five more than in November.

Toxic drug deaths in B.C. highest ever in 2021

BC Floods: A Road to Recovery

BC Floods: A Road to Recovery
Henry Braun, Mayor of Abbotsford, admitted to the city having known that the Sumas River dike was dangerously low, but the cost to repair was unaffordable for the municipality. Now, damages have reached astronomical numbers.    

BC Floods: A Road to Recovery

Canadians less trusting as COVID-19 drags on: poll

Canadians less trusting as COVID-19 drags on: poll
The data is part of the 2022 edition of Proof's trust index, a survey Proof normally does annually but has been conducting more than once a year since the pandemic began.

Canadians less trusting as COVID-19 drags on: poll

Census: Despite COVID-19, population hits 36.9M

Census: Despite COVID-19, population hits 36.9M
The five-year growth rate was double that of any peer country in the G7, and Statistics Canada says most of the growth happened prior to the onset of the pandemic in 2020.

Census: Despite COVID-19, population hits 36.9M

Two people in serious condition following shooting in Fraser Heights area: Surrey RCMP

Two people in serious condition following shooting in Fraser Heights area: Surrey RCMP
Surrey RCMP responded to a report of shots fired in the area of 16800-block of 104 Avenue. A male and a female were located in a vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds. Both victims were transported to hospital, the female in serious condition, the male with life-threatening injuries.

Two people in serious condition following shooting in Fraser Heights area: Surrey RCMP