Quebec police arrest 17 men in sexual exploitation operation [Video]

Police across Quebec have arrested 17 men in a province-crackdown on the sexual exploitation of children on the internet.

The men, between the ages of 38 and 80, face charges of possession, distribution and access to child pornography, Quebec provincial police announced Friday. 

The large-scale operation — led by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) investigation team on sexual exploitation of children on the internet (ESEI) — took place Monday to Thursday and involved more than 200 sworn and civilian officers from various police forces, including Montreal, Laval, Longueuil, Gatineau and Quebec City.

Searches were done in 20 locations and computer equipment was seized as evidence.

Members of the public are asked to report any case of sexual exploitation on the internet by visiting cyberaide.ca.