A nationwide crackdown on child pornography has led to the arrest of five people in Saskatchewan. The arrests were part of Project STEEL — a coordinated effort involving 63 law enforcement partners across Canada. Police say the investigations lead to the arrest of 106 people between Feb. 17 and 28 and helped safeguard 37 children. In a news release Wednesday, the RCMP said a total of 1,132 electronic devices were seized during the investigation. During the crackdown, the Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit executed six search warrants in the province, the RCMP says. Five Saskatchewan residents were charged with multiple child pornography offences, including possession and distribution. Thirty-eight-year-old Nikola Ecim and 36-year-old Peter Palmer from Regina, 36-year-old Kieran Stevenson-Hastings from Moose Jaw, 25-year-old Blaisen Nicotine from Cando and 66-year-old Donald Church from Lloydminster have been arrested and charged. Nicotine’s arrest stemmed from a report that videos being sold on a social media platform “met the definition of child pornography,” according to the Sask. RCMP. The RCMP says it learned of the situation through a Feb. 12 referral from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. Officers from the North Battleford detachment investigated alongside the ICE team, leading to Nicotine’s arrest on Feb. 20 from a residence in Red Pheasant Cree Nation. The RCMP has identified one victim in the case. Investigators say Nicotine met and interacted with the victim at the Red Pheasant Cree nation school, where the 25-year-old was enrolled in adult education courses. “The investigation remains ongoing — including identifying whether there are any additional victims,” the RCMP said.
