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“The funding from the provincial government allows us to do much more than we’d be able to do alone.”

Chief Supt. Don Bell, commander of the OPP investigation and support bureau, said that “the creation and distribution of images of child sexual abuse; the luring of young people by predators; and the proliferation of Internet sites continue to be major concerns to police worldwide.”

Also concerning for police is the amount of weapons and drugs that continue to be found alongside pornographic material in these raids.

Stephen L. Johnson, 52, and Andrew J. Nelson, 42, both of Ottawa, are each charged with two counts of possessing child pornograpy and one count of making it available. Johnson is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 7 and Nelson on Oct. 9.

William M. Armstrong, 28, also of Ottawa, is charged with one count of possessing child pornography and two counts of making it available. He was scheduled to make his first appearance in court on Wednesday.

Sweeps by the numbers

7,000: number of individual IP addresses identified that police suspect downloaded child pornography over six months

299: number of search warrants executed across Ontario

249: current number of charges laid — police say more are possible

60: current number of people charged — more arrests could also be made

14: number of child victims who police have identified through investigations

3: number of charged suspects who are younger than 18 — their names cannot be released

syogaretnam@ottawacitizen.com

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