Local men charged in child exploitation sweep

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This article was published 06/03/2025 (246 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two Brandon men have been charged as part of a nationwide investigation into child exploitation that police say has thus far led to the arrests of 106 online child sex offender suspects and the safeguarding of dozens of children.

Representatives of the RCMP and other police forces provided an update Wednesday on a project aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse. The project included 63 law enforcement agencies in total.

RCMP Insp. Matthieu Girard told a news conference in Ottawa that the recent sweep, known as Project Steel, led to the identification of dozens of victims and 37 children being safeguarded from harm.

A total of 1,132 electronic devices were seized, and charges laid so far include possession, distribution and accessing child pornography.

Girard said the numbers are preliminary and there are hundreds of ongoing investigations.

“Each investigation into online child sexual exploitation goes beyond the search for a guilty party; it aims to protect the innocent and preserve their dignity in an increasingly complex digital world,” said Sgt. Katherine Guimond, sexual violence service co-ordinator of the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Investigations Division in Quebec.

Locally, investigators with the Brandon Police Service’s Major Crimes Section and Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit joined Project STEEL, which took place Feb. 17-28.

In a statement issued Wednesday, BPS says five search warrants were executed to discover evidence pertaining to the offences of possession of child pornography, accessing any child pornography, and the import, distribution, sale or possession for the purpose of distribution or sale of any child pornography.

Two BPS investigations have resulted in charges, and two other investigations are ongoing.

The execution of a search warrant on the 1500 block of Lorne Avenue resulted in an 18-year-old male being arrested and charged.

A second search warrant conducted on the first block of Garwood Drive resulted in a 20-year-old male being arrested and charged.

“The Brandon Police Service is proud to collaborate with other agencies in this nationwide operation, as the borderless nature of these crimes demands a unified approach,” read a statement issued Wednesday.

“Criminal activities that span across our provinces require the collective expertise, resources and co-ordination of agencies at all levels. By working together, we strengthen our ability to tackle these complex issues and heinous crimes to ensure the safety and security of our communities and our children.”

RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme stated the most effective strategy against online child sexual exploitation is collaboration.

“Individual police agencies cannot deal with these types of crimes on their own,” Duheme said in a press release. “That’s why we work together on operations like Project STEEL to protect children across Canada from these horrific crimes. These investigations are particularly demanding for all of our police personnel as they must view materials that are sensitive and graphic in nature.”

BPS Chief Tyler Bates was not available for comment on Wednesday.

» The Brandon Sun, with files from The Canadian Press