Prosecutions and Seizures

Atlantic Region

RNC/CBSA Joint Forces Operation

St. John's, NL, March 13, 2013 — The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) have arrested and charged a 47‑year‑old St. John's male in relation to a child pornography investigation.

On January 30, 2013, CBSA officers at the International Mail Centre in Toronto intercepted a package that was found to contain suspected child pornography.

On Tuesday, March 12, 2013, members of the RNC Criminal Investigation Division and the CBSA's Criminal Investigations Division executed a search warrant at a residential home in St. John's, NL. As a result of this search, a 47-year-old St. John's man was arrested and charged by the RNC under the Criminal Code with possession of child pornography and the mailing of obscene material. Additional charges of smuggling and possession of prohibited goods contrary to sections 159 and 155 of the Customs Act were laid by CBSA. The accused was arrested without incident and released to appear in Provincial Court at a later date. 

The charges laid under the Criminal Code are the first to be laid in this province in relation to the item seized, which was a sex doll depicted as a child. 

Interagency cooperation is critical to combating these types of offences, and the RNC and the CBSA continue to work closely to enforce Canada's laws against child pornography and to stop prohibited material from crossing our borders and coming into our country.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Child Exploitation Unit is asking anyone who has any information in relation to this incident or any other incident involving child pornography to contact the RNC at 709-729-8000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). You can now provide information anonymously on the NL Crime Stoppers Web site at www.nlcrimestoppers.com.

If you have witnessed or are aware of an incident involving suspicious cross-border activity, please contact the CBSA Border Watch Toll-free Line at 1-888-502-9060.

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For media information

Cst. Talia Murphy #671
Media Relations Officer
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
709-729-8658

Media Relations
Canada Border Services Agency
902-426-0900

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