Police forces across Atlantic Canada have busted almost two dozen people and rescued two children in connection with an alarming web of child exploitation in the region.

RCMP say the sting - Operation Snapshot II - targeted child predators who collect, possess and distribute child exploitation material online and also aimed to identify and rescue children who were victims of sexual exploitation.

“I’m pleased to announce that Operation Snapshot II has been a success,” said Insp. Pierre Leduc at Wednesday’s announcement. “Some of the arrests and charges related to this operation are still ongoing, but as of today, we account for 22 arrests, 64 charges and two children rescued from harm.”

Police say 22 men - ranging in age from 22 to 61 - from across Atlantic Canada face charges of accessing child pornography, possession of child pornography, making available child pornography, making child pornography and voyeurism.

A total of 64 charges have been laid or are pending and one of the accused is a previous offender and registered sex offender.

The images captured are in the millions and range from still photos to video.

“The images and movies can get very graphic,” said Toronto Police Det. Chris Purchase - an expert with the Canadian Centre for Missing Exploited Children.

“They are images of kids in diapers being abused, three-year-olds being abused. Again, I don’t want to get into details, but this is horrible material and that’s what we deal with on a daily basis.”

Police say a child involved in a voyeurism case was taken into safety in Newfoundland and a child pornography victim was removed from a home in Nova Scotia.

They also say there could be more victims.

“We are attempting to identify any child in that video or picture then identify who is responsible for the abuse and who is responsible for possessing that image or video,” said Const. Colleen Fequet of the Nova Scotia internet child exploitation unit.

“We go to work every day to rescue children,” said Purchase. “There is no greater job in our office than when a child is removed from a harmful situation.”

Operation Snapshot began in April and was a joint effort involving federal, provincial and municipal police agencies in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

Wednesday’s announcement follows a similar operation in the fall when the RCMP announced charges in 15 different communities in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

Police say they expect to make more arrests as the investigation continues.

Arrests broken down by province:

Prince Edward Island

·         Steven Bowley, 25

New Brunswick

·         Frederic Price, 52

·         Donald J. Martin, 48

·         Two unnamed men (charges are pending)

Nova Scotia

·         Leamund Knickle, 46

·         Robert MacKinnon, 24

·         Steven Agnew, 38

·         Vernon Rae Sullivan, 61

·         Christopher Bayers, 46

·         Thomas Anthony Eisan, 26

·         John Anthony Campbell, 60

·         One unnamed man (charges are pending)

Newfoundland and Labrador

·         Robert David Butler, 22

·         Decian Chaisson, 43

·         Theodore Alexander Lush, 25

·         Richard David Moore, 46

·         Clyde Button, 55

·         Kyle Clarke, 24

·         Three unnamed men (charges are pending)