Police seize millions of child sexual abuse images, Fredericton, N.B

On Wednesday, March 23, 2011, members of the RCMP J Division’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit, assisted by the Atlantic Region Integrated Technical Crime Unit, Codiac Regional RCMP, Fredericton Police Force, the National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre and members of other RCMP districts throughout the province, executed search warrants at five residences in New Brunswick. The residences were located in Moncton, Havelock, Grand Bay-Westfield, Dumfries and Petit-Rocher-Ouest.

Arrested were a 51-year-old man from Moncton, a 45-year-old man from Havelock, a 49-year-old man from Dumfries and a youth under 18 from Grand Bay-Westfield. No charges have yet been laid. Three of those arrested were released on strict conditions, including no contact with children under 16, no access to the Internet and not to be in possession of computers. They will appear in court at later dates. A man arrested in Moncton remains in custody.

During the searches, investigators seized a variety of computers and related equipment. In one instance alone, police found millions of images.

“These are images and videos of children being sexually abused and assaulted,” said Cpl. Jean-Marc Paré, Operations NCO of the J Division ICE unit. “Anyone who is viewing, sharing or producing child sexual abuse images should know that they can be detected and charged, which is just one of many ways that RCMP in New Brunswick is working towards making it the safest province in Canada.”

The arrests come as part of Operation ‘J Treasures’, an ongoing peer to peer investigation into the illegal trade of child sexual abuse images in New Brunswick, which began in November 2010. The operation is a partnership between the RCMP and municipal law enforcement agencies across New Brunswick.