B.C. man convicted of child exploitation for involvement in international porn ring

SURREY, B.C. – A British Columbia man has been convicted for his involvement in an international online group dedicated to trafficking child pornography.

The province’s RCMP division says in a release that 34-year-old Joel Andy Daigle from Surrey was charged with child exploitation in April 2020 and has been sentenced to an 18-month conditional term to be served in the community.

Police say Daigle has also received a 20-year order relating to the Sex Offender Information Registration Act, with conditions governing his access to children under 16.

Mounties say that in November 2018 they were told about an undercover operation by a police officer in North Carolina who posed as a 14-year-old girl to infiltrate a messaging group involved in the sexual exploitation of children and trafficking pornography.

Police in the U.S. say the detective identified members of the group around the world, including B.C., and the RCMP executed a search warrant at Daigle’s home in April 2019.

RCMP say 23 people have been arrested around the world, with the group’s administrator sentenced to 65 months in jail in North Carolina.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2024.