A major police operation resulted in 26 arrests across Quebec in connection with child pornography and online child sexual exploitation.
According to the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), around 300 police officers took part in this raid in areas where children are sexually exploited. The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) said the operation was carried out in collaboration with several municipal police forces.
The arrests took place in almost twenty cities, including Montreal, Quebec, Laval, Longueuil, Trois-Rivières, Gatineau, Sherbrooke, Val-d’Or, Repentigny, Saint-Jérôme, Terrebonne, Rouyn-Noranda and Saint-Hyacinthe.
According to the SQ, several searches were carried out at the homes of suspects aged 17 to 74 and computer equipment was seized for analysis, without providing details of the suspects’ profile.
Among them, the Quebec City Police Service (SPVQ) arrested two men, aged 45 and 37. Also seized during a search were 700 grams of “crystal meth,” 6,100 methamphetamine tablets, 45 grams of cocaine and approximately $4,500 in cash.
“The individuals appeared at the courthouse at their residence and were charged with production, possession, distribution and access to child pornography,” the SQ said in a press release on Friday.
In addition to these arrests, similar operations took place in Ontario and New Brunswick, notably involving the Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, it said.
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