Toronto man charged in international child-porn network bust, All in all, 341 were charged.

Toronto man charged in international child-porn network bust,  All in all, 341 were charged.(TheStar).

It was an extensive investigation that spanned the globe and resulted in charges against a Toronto man who detectives allege was at the centre of one of the largest child pornography rings they say they have ever seen.

A team of Star reporters had exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to the child exploitation unit of the Toronto Police Services as they brought their three-year investigation to a conclusion.

The probe into the operation known as Azovfilms.com — and its proprietor, 41-year-old Brian Way — began in earnest in October 2010. For three years, detectives in Toronto, investigators in the United States and police overseas have been chasing the people who made the alleged child pornography, and the customers who bought it.

All in all, 341 were charged. People were arrested in Canada; another 76 in the United States. Overseas, more than 150 people face criminal action.

Officers from Spain, Mexico, the U.S. and Australia were scheduled to be in Toronto for the announcement at police headquarters Thursday morning.

Way faces about two dozen charges of making, possessing, distributing, exporting and selling the explicit images of boys, who range in age from toddlers to teens. The videos, police allege, were edited, packaged and sold from his west Toronto warehouse.

Among his alleged Canadian clients are a Chatham hockey coach, a Toronto teacher, a priest and Scout leader in Quebec, and a retired high school principal in Nova Scotia.

In the United States, police officers, educators and medical professionals were among the people arrested.

Some people have pleaded guilty and are serving sentences; others remain before the courts, proclaiming their innocence.

There were 50 arrests in Ontario. A dozen search warrants were executed in Toronto. And the RCMP got involved, passing on leads to other law enforcement in Canada. Investigations took place around the world.

In Spain, the high-tech crime unit of the Spanish National Police led on the probe they called “Operation Espada.” In all, 42 people were investigated, and 19 children were rescued, said Chief Inspector Luis Garcia. He said looking into the backgrounds of the men who were arrested because of child pornography allegations often led to more serious charges.

“This is a crime which is hidden, and which without this kind of operation we can put to the light,” he said. “We can find hands-on abuse, and we could never have known about this in any other way.”Read the full story here.

Related?

Ten Quebec teens arrested in Laval on child porn charges.HT: SunNewsNetwork.

Police in Laval, Que., have arrested 10 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 15 who are suspected of possessing and distributing child pornography.

About 40 police officers conducted raids Thursday morning and made the arrests.
The investigation began a month ago when staff at an English language school contacted police after seeing explicit photos on the cellphones of some students.
Police say the teens convinced seven young girls to give them revealing pictures of themselves.
The teens are scheduled to appear in court later Thursday.