Joel Andy Daigle, a 34-year-old man from Surrey, British Columbia, has been found guilty of participating in an international online network distributing child pornography.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) division charged Daigle with child exploitation in April 2020, leading to an 18-month conditional sentence within the community.

Daigle now faces a 20-year order under the Sex Offender Information Registration Act, restricting his interactions with children under 16.

The Mounties became aware of the case in November 2018 when they were notified of an undercover operation in North Carolina, where a police officer posed as a 14-year-old girl to infiltrate an online messaging group engaged in sexual exploitation.

American law enforcement identified members, including Daigle in British Columbia. In April 2019, the RCMP executed a search warrant at his residence.

Daigle faced four charges, including possession, access, and distribution of child pornography, documented from August 2016 to February 2019.

The RCMP reported 23 arrests worldwide in connection with this pornographic network. The group’s administrator, arrested in North Carolina, received a 65-month prison sentence.