The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) has arrested eight people following raids across the province in connection with an ongoing child pornography investigation.
The provincial police operation was carried out Thursday in several areas, including Laval, Sorel-Tracy, Eastman, Gatineau, Papineauville, Roberval and Portneuf.
READ MORE: Quebec provincial police crackdown on child pornography in raids
During their sweep, police say they also carried out 10 search warrants and seized computer material from the suspects.
Police say six of the eight people arrested during the operation appeared in various courthouses in Quebec on Thursday. They were charged with sexual offences carried out on the internet, including deception and accessing child pornography.
The suspects who appeared in court were:
- Francis Berthe, 29, from Laval
- Florian Pinter, 58, from Gatineau
- Sébastien Miller-Lizotte, 48, from Sorel-Tracy
- Sylvain Huot, 50, from Portneuf
- Pierre-Luc Bélanger, 29, from Roberval
- Jack Ménard, 26, from Papineauville
Investigators were first alerted to the case by complaints and cases flagged by the National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre, sparking the investigation that led to the arrests.
The SQ implemented its strategy against the sexual exploitation of children in 2012. So far, it has resulted in nearly 600 arrests.
Police ask anyone with information about the individuals who were arrested to contact them at 1-800-659-4262.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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