Eleven people in Saskatchewan are facing child pornography charges following a massive national bust that led to the rescue of five children from sexual abuse.

More than 150 individuals across Canada were arrested or are under investigation as part of the bust, known as Operation Snapshot III, RCMP in Halifax announced at a press conference Thursday.

Three of those individuals are from Saskatoon, one is from Regina, one is from Moose Jaw, one is from Yorkton and several are from small towns across Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit said.

The Canada-wide operation targeted individuals using file sharing networks where child sexual abuse media is spread.

More than 40 police agencies, including Saskatchewan’s ICE Unit, were involved and 343 criminal charges were laid. The charges range from sexual assault, luring and the possession and distribution of child pornography, RCMP said.

“Internet-facilitated child exploitation is one of the most horrific types of crimes a police officer has to investigate,” said Sgt. Mike Petrilli at the press conference.

Nearly two million images and videos alongside hundreds of computers and hard drives were seized as part of the operation. Some of the images depicted infants and toddlers.

“These images are not simply children having a bubble bath. They are clearly children that are in a situation where they are being sexual assaulted,” Petrilli said.

Two of the children rescued are from British Columbia and the other three are from Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.

Officials at the Halifax press conference described child pornography as a “borderless crime.”

“There is no pattern to this in our country,” Petrilli said. “It’s in our large cities, in our rural area, in every province.”

Snapshot III, which ran from Feb. 1 to May 27, was organized by the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre. It was the third such operation so far. Operation Snapshot in 2012 targeted individuals in the Prairie and Northern regions of Canada and Operation Snapshot II in 2013 focused on individuals in Atlantic Canada.

The Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit is comprised of members from the RCMP, Prince Albert Police Service, Saskatoon Police Service and Regina Police Service.

--- with files from Christina Commisso, CTVNews.ca

The following Saskatchewan residents are facing charges in relation to Operation Snapshot III:

  • Russell Dennis Wolfe, 55, from Saskatoon is charged with accessing, possessing and making available child pornography.
  • Paul Anthony Burke, 33, from Saskatoon is charged with accessing and possessing child pornography.
  • Trevor Frank Harrison, 47, from Saskatoon is charged with accessing and possessing child pornography.
  • Devon James Kupiec, 23, from Regina is charged with accessing and possessing child pornography.
  • Todd Michael Fitzpatrick, 40, from Moose Jaw is charged with accessing, possessing and making available child pornography.
  • Ryan Christopher Palumbo, 27, from Yorkton is charged with accessing, possessing and making available child pornography.
  • James Patrick Lalonde, 35, from Zenin Park is charged with accessing, possessing and making available child pornography.
  • Kevin James Leibel, 41, from Balgonie is charged with accessing, possessing and making available child pornography.
  • Gary Kevin Nuspl, 49, from Neilburg is charged with accessing and possessing child pornography, being unlawfully in a dwelling, theft under $5,000, interception of private communications, and possession of interception devices.
  • Terrance Wiggins, 33, from Manor is charged with accessing, possessing and making available child pornography.
  • Todd Jason Staples, 30, from Pierceland is charged with accessing, possessing and making available child pornography.