On Thursday, November 14, 2013, Toronto Police Service Chief William Blair announced the results of Project Spade, a three-year, international investigation involving the making and selling of child exploitation videos and images over the internet.
In October 2010, undercover officers with the Toronto Police Service Child Exploitation Section made contact with a Toronto man allegedly sharing images of child sexual abuse.
The investigation revealed that this person may have been operating a child exploitation movie production and distribution company. The TPS then partnered with the United States Postal Inspection Service to further the investigation into this individual and company.
On May 1, 2011, officers executed search warrants at a business and a residence in Toronto and arrested a man.
It is alleged that:
- he was operating a website called www.azovfilms.com
- this website sold and distributed child exploitation movies and images to people across the world
- the man paid various people to film children for the purpose of creating movies for sale on his website
- over 45 terabytes of data were seized
- his company had revenues in excess of $4 million
Brian Way, 42, of Toronto, was charged with:
1) Possession Child Pornography
2) Three counts of Possession for the Purpose Publication Child Pornography
3) Six counts of Make Available Child Pornography
4) Three counts of Make for the Purpose Publication Child Pornography
5) Three counts of Advertise for the Purpose Distribution Child Pornography
6) Three counts of Sell/Distribute Child Pornography
7) Import/Export Child Pornography
8) Possession for the Purpose Exportation Child Pornography
9) Possession of Proceeds of Crime
10) Laundering Proceeds of Crime
11) Instructing Commission of Offence for Criminal Organization
This is the first time in Canada this charge (#11) has been laid in relation to a child exploitation material investigation.
The TPS was able to determine the identities of customers of this website from around the world. The RCMP's National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre (N.C.E.C.C.) in Ottawa assisted the Child Exploitation Section in providing intelligence to over 50 countries.
As a result, 341 people have been arrested around the world. In addition, 386 children have been rescued from child exploitation.
The Toronto Police Service would like to acknowledge the following agencies who participated in Project Spade:
The United States Postal Inspection Service
Australian Federal Police
Cuerpo Nacional de Policía - Brigada de Investigación Tecnológica (Spain)
Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR) in cooperation with Mexican Federal Police
Queensland Police Service Task Force Argos
South African Police Service
Hong Kong Police Force
Norwegian Police Service (Politi- og lensmannsetaten)
An Garda Síochána (Ireland)
National Police Force of Greece
Royal Gibraltar Police
The following Ontario law enforcement agencies:
Ontario Provincial Police
Barrie Police Service
Brantford Police Service
Durham Regional Police Service
Guelph Police Service
Halton Regional Police Service
Hamilton Police Service
Kingston Police Force
Waterloo Regional Police Service
London Police Service
Niagara Regional Police Service
Ottawa Police Service
Peel Regional Police
Windsor Police Service
York Regional Police
Canadian law enforcement agencies outside Ontario:
Victoria Police Department
RCMP "E" Division - Integrated Child Exploitation Unit (British Columbia)
Southern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation Unit
Northern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation Unit
Saskatchewan Integrated Internet Child Exploitation Unit
Winnipeg Police Service
Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM)
Sureté Du Québec
RCMP "B" Division (Newfoundland and Labrador)
RCMP "H" Division (Nova Scotia)
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
Truro Police Service
Click here for details of the other Toronto arrests.
The Toronto Police Service is a member of the Ontario Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the internet which has been made possible by a grant from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and the Ministry of the Attorney General. Members of the Strategy and the N.C.E.C.C. assisted in cataloging millions of child exploitation images and videos.
The Toronto Police Service would also like to acknowledge the assistance of Cybertip.ca. Cybertip.ca received many complaints about the website that became the basis of the Project Spade investigation. Cybertip.ca allows for the online reporting of sexual exploitation of children.
Click here for news conference held Thursday, November 14, 2013.
Click here for info graphic used during news conference.
In October 2010, undercover officers with the Toronto Police Service Child Exploitation Section made contact with a Toronto man allegedly sharing images of child sexual abuse.
The investigation revealed that this person may have been operating a child exploitation movie production and distribution company. The TPS then partnered with the United States Postal Inspection Service to further the investigation into this individual and company.
On May 1, 2011, officers executed search warrants at a business and a residence in Toronto and arrested a man.
It is alleged that:
- he was operating a website called www.azovfilms.com
- this website sold and distributed child exploitation movies and images to people across the world
- the man paid various people to film children for the purpose of creating movies for sale on his website
- over 45 terabytes of data were seized
- his company had revenues in excess of $4 million
Brian Way, 42, of Toronto, was charged with:
1) Possession Child Pornography
2) Three counts of Possession for the Purpose Publication Child Pornography
3) Six counts of Make Available Child Pornography
4) Three counts of Make for the Purpose Publication Child Pornography
5) Three counts of Advertise for the Purpose Distribution Child Pornography
6) Three counts of Sell/Distribute Child Pornography
7) Import/Export Child Pornography
8) Possession for the Purpose Exportation Child Pornography
9) Possession of Proceeds of Crime
10) Laundering Proceeds of Crime
11) Instructing Commission of Offence for Criminal Organization
This is the first time in Canada this charge (#11) has been laid in relation to a child exploitation material investigation.
The TPS was able to determine the identities of customers of this website from around the world. The RCMP's National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre (N.C.E.C.C.) in Ottawa assisted the Child Exploitation Section in providing intelligence to over 50 countries.
As a result, 341 people have been arrested around the world. In addition, 386 children have been rescued from child exploitation.
The Toronto Police Service would like to acknowledge the following agencies who participated in Project Spade:
The United States Postal Inspection Service
Australian Federal Police
Cuerpo Nacional de Policía - Brigada de Investigación Tecnológica (Spain)
Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR) in cooperation with Mexican Federal Police
Queensland Police Service Task Force Argos
South African Police Service
Hong Kong Police Force
Norwegian Police Service (Politi- og lensmannsetaten)
An Garda Síochána (Ireland)
National Police Force of Greece
Royal Gibraltar Police
The following Ontario law enforcement agencies:
Ontario Provincial Police
Barrie Police Service
Brantford Police Service
Durham Regional Police Service
Guelph Police Service
Halton Regional Police Service
Hamilton Police Service
Kingston Police Force
Waterloo Regional Police Service
London Police Service
Niagara Regional Police Service
Ottawa Police Service
Peel Regional Police
Windsor Police Service
York Regional Police
Canadian law enforcement agencies outside Ontario:
Victoria Police Department
RCMP "E" Division - Integrated Child Exploitation Unit (British Columbia)
Southern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation Unit
Northern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation Unit
Saskatchewan Integrated Internet Child Exploitation Unit
Winnipeg Police Service
Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM)
Sureté Du Québec
RCMP "B" Division (Newfoundland and Labrador)
RCMP "H" Division (Nova Scotia)
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
Truro Police Service
Click here for details of the other Toronto arrests.
The Toronto Police Service is a member of the Ontario Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the internet which has been made possible by a grant from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and the Ministry of the Attorney General. Members of the Strategy and the N.C.E.C.C. assisted in cataloging millions of child exploitation images and videos.
The Toronto Police Service would also like to acknowledge the assistance of Cybertip.ca. Cybertip.ca received many complaints about the website that became the basis of the Project Spade investigation. Cybertip.ca allows for the online reporting of sexual exploitation of children.
Click here for news conference held Thursday, November 14, 2013.
Click here for info graphic used during news conference.