Children living in cult in Arizona arrive back in Quebec

MONTREAL – A group of young children who allegedly were living in Arizona with the followers of a self-styled guru have been returned to Quebec.

The 10 children, who range in age from two to seven years, have been put under the custody of the province’s youth protection branch.

They were part of a group of 12 children who were intercepted by Canadian border services officials near Vancouver earlier this week.

The group, accompanied by two adults, were apparently headed into Canada from the United States.

Two of the children stayed behind with their father in British Columbia.

The self-styled guru, Marcel Pontbriand, took refuge in a small town in Arizona with dozens of Quebecers and some children since 2009.

The former businessman from Beloeil, Que., was the head of a cult that allegedly separated children from their parents.

Two of the 14 children connected with the cult are still missing.