By: Thomas I. Likness
Eagle News Service

(Eagle News) — An international police investigation led by New Zealand authorities has resulted in the arrest of 47 Canadians and the removal of 12 children from abusive situations, Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Wednesday.

Dubbed Operation H, it was launched in October 2019.

“This global operation demonstrates the importance of collaborative law enforcement efforts, sais Supt. Andre Boileau, of Canada’s child exploitation crime center. “Operation H is a prime example of how global collaboration can help all of our countries to protect children.”

According to police, the team received an alert from an Electronic Service Provider who discovered a large number of subscribers using the platform to share some of the most graphic and violent child sexual abuse material online.

New Zealand advised the RCMP of a secure cloud storage site containing some of the most horrific child sexual abuse material.

More than 90,000 online accounts were identified in New Zealand as having possessed or traded child sexual abuse material including many more around the globe.

The operation resulted in arrests in eight Canadian provinces over the past two years. “Online child sexual exploitation is borderless and is among the most heinous crimes targeting our most vulnerable – our children,” said Boileau. “The RCMP and its partners around the globe are committed to detecting, identifying and safeguarding children from online child sexual exploitation.”
(Eagle News Service)