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Individuals from across the province charged with offences related to online child sexual exploitation

Frog Lake man among list of 18 individuals charged
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ALBERTA - Among a list released on Friday of people who have been charged with offences related to online child sexual exploitation is a 31-year-old man from Frog Lake. On June 25, ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit announced it had recently charged 18 suspects from across Alberta with a total of 65 offences.

"Most of the arrests came as the result of investigative referrals from the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre, which works with Internet and social media providers to track and investigate online instances of child sexual exploitation," according to information from Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT).
 
“Identifying and arresting the perpetrators who prey on children is complex and challenging work, and I commend the investigators of ALERT’s ICE unit for their tireless dedication to this grim, but absolutely necessary, duty," said Doug Schweitzer, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General.

ICE had previously reported a record number of intakes in March. More than 240 instances were reported of online child exploitation in Alberta in March, exceeding the unit's two-year average of about 110.

“This is a level of activity that has been unparalleled in the existence of the ICE unit,” said Supt. Dwayne Lakusta, ALERT CEO. “ICE is working incredibly hard to put predators behind bars, but we need parents to do their part and be vigilant of their kids’ online activities.”

ICE speculates the rise in the number of investigative referrals is likely in part related to digital dependency during COVID-19 isolation measures.
 
Names of 17 of the people charged were released by ALERT. There is no definitive link between the suspects other than the nature of offences allegedly committed. Each of the suspects has been charged with at least one child pornography offence. The other person on the list is an 18-year-old man from Edmonton who was a young offender at the time of his arrest.

The list of people charged includes:

  • An 18-year-old man from Edmonton, who was a young offender at the time of his arrest
  • Bryan Alas Hernandez, an 18-year-old man from Lethbridge
  • Dean Bertsch, a 62-year-old man from Sherwood Park
  • Brandon Bran Eguizabal, a 26-year-old man from Lethbridge
  • Tyson Campbell, a 27-year-old man from Edmonton
  • Evan Cardinal, a 31-year-old man from Frog Lake
  • Yonatan Castro Linares, a 25-year-old man from Lethbridge
  • Keone Friesen, a 21-year-old man from Calgary
  • Hans-Ulrich Gerber, a 74-year-old man from Red Deer
  • Travis Harder, a 31-year-old man from Sherwood Park
  • Kristofer Hastings, a 28-year-old man from Edmonton
  • Darcy Hazard, a 57-year-old man from Airdrie
  • Anas Khatib, a 24-year-old man from Grande Prairie
  • Wayne Kupsch, a 52-year-old man from Edmonton
  • Richard McCleary, a 61-year-old man from Calgary
  • George Power, a 45-year-old man from Calgary
  • James Venance, a 63-year-old man from Edmonton
  • Jesse Young, a 20-year-old man from Grande Prairie
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