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A 34-year-old Surrey man has been convicted for possessing and distributing child pornography after a sting operation led by a U.S. detective in a small town in North Carolina.
The joint operation began in November 2018 when the B.C. RCMP integrated child exploitation unit was contacted by the U.S. National Child Exploitation Crime Centre. The detective in Boone, N.C., had managed to infiltrate a private group on a messenger app where people were exploiting children and trafficking in child pornography.
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According to documents filed in the U.S. case, the detective posed as a 14-year-old girl and convinced an administrator to add him to the group. Once in, the detective gained access to other groups that were distributing child pornography and exploiting children.
Over several months, state investigators and the Boone police detective identified several members of the group and began tracking them both in the U.S. and internationally.
Among a total of 38 leads, law enforcement identified Joel Andy Daigle of Surrey as one member of the group.
Daigle’s residence was searched in April 2019, and after further investigation, he was charged with child exploitation offences a year later.
The administrator of the group has also pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of child pornography in North Carolina and was sentenced to more than five years in jail.
“Globally, 23 offenders were arrested, including Daigle,” said B.C. RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Vanessa Munn in a statement.
Daigle was convicted of making child pornography available and possessing child pornography on March 7 and handed an 18-month conditional sentence to be served in the community.
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He will also be listed on the sex offender registry and must abide by several conditions, including those governing his access to children under the age of 16.
“This conviction is a result of a lengthy inter-agency investigation, in which a local suspect surfaced in a joint U.S. law enforcement investigation that identified several online predators trading and possessing child sexual exploitation materials within a social chat application,” said Sgt. Natalie Davis of the B.C. child exploitation unit.
“Child sexual exploitation offences have steadily increased across the province and have a substantial impact on our communities, big and small,” said Davis.
“Our investigators work tirelessly alongside our national and international law enforcement partners to target those utilizing the internet to harm and exploit children, rescue child victims, and bring child exploitation offenders to justice.”
Anyone who suspects child exploitation is asked to call local police.
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