Seven northern Ont. men busted in huge online child exploitation investigation

A province-wide child sexual abuse investigation by Ontario Provincial Police dubbed Project Aquatic has resulted in hundreds of charges, including seven male suspects from northern Ontario.

A province-wide child sexual abuse investigation by Ontario Provincial Police dubbed Project Aquatic has resulted in hundreds of charges, including seven male suspects from northern Ontario.

The investigations were both reactive and proactive and took place between Feb. 19 and Feb. 29, OPP said in a news release Wednesday morning.

Investigators arrested people making, possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material – referred to in the legal system as child pornography -- and charged 64 people with 348 offences.

Of the seven suspects from northern Ontario, three cannot be named.

"It is either a publication ban or that the victim would be identified if we release the name of the accused," OPP spokesperson Agata Czajkowski told CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca in an email.

"This is typical in child sexual exploitation investigations."

The northern suspects range in age from 18 to 54.