A Wainwright man has been charged in an ALERT Alberta child pornography investigation, which in total has laid 63 total charges on 26 suspects.
29-year-old Victor Delage has been charged with at least one child pornography offense. Most of these people were arrested based on tips from the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre, which works with internet and social media providers to track and investigate online instances of child sexual exploitation.
The investigation was undertaken by several law enforcement detachments and organizations from June 20th to September 17th. Police say there is no evidence of a direct link between these suspects, other than the nature of offences allegedly committed.
“In Alberta, those who participate in the exploitation of children will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The Government of Alberta will ensure our law enforcement has the tools and resources to track down child predators and bring them to justice.” said Kaycee Madu, Alberta Minister of Justice and Solicitor General in a statement.
The Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit speculates that the rise in the number of investigative referrals is likely in part related to digital dependency during COVID-19 isolation measures.