Winnipeg man charged after Swiss police alert local cops about child porn
Man, 24, charged with possession, sale of child pornography
A Winnipeg man has been arrested after an investigation into online child porn by police in Switzerland.
A Swiss police officer worked undercover during an investigation in June. The officer began chatting online with a person who ended up sharing child-abuse imagery, Winnipeg police spokesperson Const. Tammy Skrabek said Tuesday.
Swiss police tracked the person's IP address — a string of numbers that identify a computer and its location — to Winnipeg and they notified the local internet child exploitation (ICE) unit.
"If you have an IP address it will take you to an exact location where the computer is located," Skrabek said.
On Monday, Winnipeg police got a search warrant for a home in the St. James area and found electronic devices with a number of images and videos of child sexual abuse.
Police are still analyzing the seized devices and Skrabek said she anticipates there will be more charges.
The same day, police went to the suspect's workplace and arrested the 24-year-old man.
He has been charged with possession and sale of child porn.
It's not the first time Swiss police have helped the local force. In 2016, a months-long police investigation that began in Switzerland led to a 36-year-old Winnipeg man facing multiple child porn charges.
In August, a tip from Australian authorities about online images of child sexual assault led to charges against a 28-year-old Winnipeg man.