11.6°C Vancouver

Mar 2, 2022 8:33 PM - The Canadian Press

47 Canadians charged in global investigation related to online child sexual exploitation

Share On
47-canadians-charged-in-global-investigation-related-to-online-child-sexual-exploitation
47 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. (Photo - ANI)

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.

Latest news

b-c-fugitive-gangland-killer-arrested-in-qatar-police
BCSep 25, 2025

B.C. fugitive, gangland killer arrested in Qatar: police

A gangland killer who escaped from a British Columbia jail in 2022 has been captured in Qatar. Police say Rabih Alkhalil is in custody, three years after he escaped from the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam, B.C. At the time, Alkhalil had been on trial for the 2012 shooting death of a rival gang member in a busy Vancouver restaurant. He was later convicted in absentia for first-degree murder. He was previously convicted in 2017 for the murder of a man at a Toronto coffee shop. Authorities in Canada say they're working with Interpol and other agencies to bring Alkhalil back to Can
multiple-suspects-charged-in-dark-web-drug-trafficking-network-ontario-rcmp
CanadaSep 25, 2025

Multiple suspects charged in dark web drug trafficking network: Ontario RCMP

Mounties in Ontario have made seven arrests in what they say is one of the largest known dark web drug trafficking operations in Canadian history. The RCMP says the investigation began after a "takedown" of a dark web marketplace by German authorities, who contacted the force about several alleged Canadian-based users linked to drug trafficking. The Mounties say data analysis identified a suspected Canadian-based drug vendor known as "RoadRunna," which involved an operation that allegedly shipped around 400 packages weekly across the country. They say seven suspects from the Greater Toronto Ar
almost-2-000-student-employees-cut-from-federal-government-in-the-last-fiscal-year
CanadaSep 25, 2025

Almost 2,000 student employees cut from federal government in the last fiscal year

The number of students working for the federal government fell almost 20 per cent between 2024 and 2025. Data provided by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat shows 9,120 students were employed in the federal public service at the end of March 2024. A year later, in March 2025, that number had fallen to 7,370. Employees on leave without pay, ministers’ exempt staff, employees locally engaged outside of Canada, some RCMP and Canadian Forces members and some agencies were excluded from the data. The biggest cut in student employment was at Canada Revenue Agency, which saw its student workf
CanadaSep 25, 2025

Indonesian president signs trade deal, defence pact with Canada

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has signed a trade agreement with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Parliament Hill. The trade deal is comprehensive, meaning it opens up trade in multiple industries with the world's fourth most populous country. Last November both countries announced they had finished trade negotiations that started in 2021. Indonesia is looking to Canada for resources and for potential work on critical minerals and nuclear energy technology. Indonesia's population of 280 million people is younger than most, and the country has been trying to wean itself off
CanadaSep 25, 2025

Starbucks to close stores, lay off 900 workers as part of turnaround plan

Starbucks is laying off around 900 non-retail employees and closing some U.S. and Canadian stores as it focuses more of its resources on a turnaround. The Seattle coffee giant will notify employees whose positions are being eliminated early Friday and said that it plans to close an undetermined number of stores in North America in the coming days. A review of Starbucks locations revealed that many are falling short of financial performance targets or are failing to create the environment customers expect, according to a letter sent by Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol on Thursday. ``Each

Related News