Nearly 350 people including school teachers, doctors and actors have been arrested in what Toronto police called one of the largest child pornography arrests they have ever seen.
Police said on Thursday that 386 children were rescued as a result of the sweeping investigation. More than 100 people were arrested in Canada, 76 in the US and 65 in Australia in an investigation dubbed Project Spade. Others were arrested in other countries.
"It is alleged that officers seized hundreds of thousands of videos detailing horrific sexual acts against very young children, some of the worst that they have ever viewed," Inspector Joanna Beaven-Desjardins said.
Australian Federal Police commander Glen McEwen on Friday confirmed that 65 men had been arrested in Australia as a result of the Canadian investigation, and six Australian children had been removed from harm. Police said the children were "rescued from child exploitation" but did not give more details.
Authorities said 40 school teachers, 32 child volunteers, nine doctors and nurses, nine pastors or priests and three foster parents were arrested around the world as part of the operation.
The arrests included a lawyer and youth baseball coach in the US who pled guilty to producing more than 500 videos of children under the age of 16 whom he sexually molested; a US school employee who pled guilty to receiving child pornography and admitted to placing a hidden video camera in students' toilets; a pre-school teacher who pled guilty to producing child pornography while employed in Japan; and a Texas police sergeant who pled guilty to producing a video of a child involved in sexually explicit conduct.
Beaven-Desjardins said the investigation began with a Toronto man accused of running a company since 2005 that distributed child pornography videos.
Police allege Brian Way, 42, instructed people around the world to create the videos of children ranging from five to 12 years of age, then distributed the videos through his company, Azov Films, to international customers.
The videos included naked boys from Germany, Romania and Ukraine, which it marketed as naturist movies and claimed were legal in Canada and the US.
Police said they executed a search warrant at Way's company and home, seizing about 1000 pieces of evidence: computers, servers, DVD burners, a video editing suite and hundreds of movies.
Way was charged with 24 offences, including child pornography. He is in jail. Police also designated Azov Films as a criminal organisation, charging Way with giving directions on behalf of a gang.
Beaven-Desjardins said this is the first time in Canada that anyone has been charged with being a part of a criminal organisation with regard to child pornography.
The US Postal Inspection Service said it began its investigation by accessing the company website and making undercover purchases.
Beaven-Desjardins thanked the Australian Federal Police and Queensland Police for their contribution to the operation. She said the investigation is ongoing and believes more arrests will be made.
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