RCMP say at least nine B.C. residents facing charges in huge international child porn sting
RCMP say at least nine B.C. residents facing charges in huge international child porn sting
BY TIFFANY CRAWFORD, VANCOUVER SUN NOVEMBER 15, 2013 8:06 AM
RCMP say at least nine B.C. residents facing charges in huge international child porn sting
Toronto police chief Bill Blair held a press conference Thursday about Project Spade, a three-year, worldwide child exploitation investigation involving child pornography. The investigation lead to 386 children being rescued which include 24 Canadian children and 341 people arrested worldwide.Photograph by: Michelle Siu , National Post
Mounties say at least nine of the more than 300 people arrested in a massive international child pornography bust are from British Columbia.
Sgt. Rob Vermeulen, a spokesman for the B.C. RCMP, said Friday that so far Crown Counsel has approved charges against six of those individuals.
He added that two of the charged residents are accused of abusing children known to them. The numbers only reflect the cases being handled by the RCMP’s Integrated Child Exploitation Unit, and said there are more cases being handled by municipal police agencies.
Toronto police announced Thursday that hundreds of people from around the world have been arrested as part of Project Spade, an investigation that targeted child porn offenders, many of whom include people in professions that deal directly with children like teachers, priests and doctors.
Brian Way, a 42-year-old Toronto man, is accused of being at the centre of the ring. He faces 24 charges of making, possessing, distributing, exporting and selling sexually explicit videos of young boys, some as young as toddlers.
Through his company, the man would allegedly contract people to create the videos, many of which were allegedly shot in Ukraine and Romania in apartments, dingy saunas and backyards.
Police allege the videos were then distributed from Toronto — through the mail and the Internet — to customers around the world.
Police said among the Canadians facing charges, there are 40 school teachers, nine doctors and nurses and 32 people who volunteer with children. Others include pastors, priests, foster parents and law enforcement personnel.
Authorities say they have rescued at least 386 children as a result of the investigation, including 24 Canadian children and more than 330 children in the U.S.
ticrawford@vancouversun.com