Four men have been arrested and charged in a southern Manitoba child pornography case.
The RCMP'S Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit executed five search warrants in three communities over an eight-day period at the end of March, leading to the discovery of tens of thousands of child pornography images. Authorities also removed three children under the age of six from situations where police say they were being sexually abused and exploited.
"This is four arrests and three children removed from traumatic situations in a span of only 10 days. I wish I could say that this is a success, and it absolutely is in terms of getting these kids to safety, but it is really a drop in the bucket when it comes to the material we seized," says Corporal Gord Olson of the RCMP ICE Unit in a media release. "I know people will be surprised at how much child sexual abuse and exploitation material we encountered, but the truth is, this problem is prolific. It is in every community, and so many children are affected by it. We continue to do everything we can to combat child exploitation and encourage parents to be mindful of how your children are engaging on social media."
The four men arrested were aged 37 to 56 and were all charged with Distributing/Uploading/Possessing Child Pornography. Additionally, one of the suspects was also charged with Making Child Pornography.
The RCMP will not be identifying any individuals or communities that were part of the investigation to protect the identity of the victims.
Investigations are ongoing.