Four Alberta men, including one from Calgary, are facing charges after the largest child porn bust in Canadian history was executed nationally this week.
Project Salvo targeted a network of individuals who were sharing materials depicting exploited children across Canada and resulted in 57 arrests being made, while another 20, including the four Albertans, may soon join them.
Staff Sgt. Doug Andrus of the Southern Alberta Integrated Child Exploitation (ICE) team said the snare was aimed at individuals participating in one of the most heinous of crimes.
“The investigation focused on users who would meet other like-minded individuals online and exchange child exploitation and sexual abuse images and videos,” he said. “By providing a market for these images, these individuals contribute to the sexual abuse of children — our goal is to protect all children from sexual abuse.”
As part of the national investigation, 71 search warrants were executed with 130 computers being seized for evidence.
Those arrested face 99 charges ranging from sexual assault, sexual interference, and the possession, making and distribution of child pornography, Andrus said.
In addition to one Calgary man, others in Blairmore, Medicine Hat and Edmonton also face charges. Edmonton ICE officers assisted in the arrest of a man in the Northwest Territories, whose name is being withheld.
Charges for Alberta suspects are pending, as investigators sift through “significant volumes of data” on computer hard drives containing illegal images — a task becoming tougher for police as technology evolves.
“Hard drives are getting bigger and cheaper,” said Edmonton Staff Sgt. Howard Kunce. “Investigations are becoming complex, and also not just dealing with pictures, but real victims whose images are on these computers, being sexually abused.”
Ottawa police and RCMP officers executed seven search warrants and arrested six men and one woman.
– With files from Victoria Handysides and Tim Wieclawski
