An international child sex abuse investigation centred on a Toronto-based movie distribution company has led to hundreds of arrests worldwide and the rescue of hundreds of kids, including 24 in Canada, police say.

Four London-area men were among the 341 people arrested, police said.

All four men’s names were released by city and provincial police at the time of the charges, some of which date back to at least 2011. Some of the charges have made their way through the court system and others have been dropped.

A Chatham man reportedly also among those charged, was sentenced a year ago.

During a news conference at Toronto police headquarters Thursday, police said many of the accused in Project Spade were trusted community members who worked closely with children.

Investigators from around the world came together “to protect those who can’t protect themselves,” Toronto police Chief Bill Blair said.

The investigation began in October 2010 when undercover officers made contact online with a Toronto man who was allegedly sharing images of child sexual abuse, Insp. Joanna Beaven-Desjardins said.

Further investigation revealed the man was allegedly operating azovfilms.com, which cops claim was a movie production and distribution company in west-end Toronto.

The man’s home and business were searched May 1, 2011.

Beaven-Desjardins said more than 45 terabytes of data were seized. Police believe the company raked in more than $4 million in revenue since 2005, allegedly through sale of child porn over the Internet.

Azov Films has been shut down, Beaven-Desjardins said.

— With Free Press files