Ottawa Police Arrest 11 People Seeking Sex With Minors

Ottawa police have arrested 11 individuals accused of attempting to arrange sexual services from people they believed were underage during a joint sting operation aimed at reducing child exploitation and trafficking.

The joint operation, which involved members of the Ottawa Police Service, the Internet Child Exploitation Unit, and the Computer Forensic Unit, focused on identifying and apprehending individuals seeking to exploit minors, a June 3 news release says.

The “john sting” operation involved officers posing as minors and engaging with suspects attempting to arrange sexual services.

Police did not release details about the 11 suspects they arrested, but said that charges laid included obtaining sexual services for consideration from a person under 18, telecommunication with a person under or believed to be under 18 years for specific criminal offences, and telecommunication with a person under or believed to be under 16 years for specific criminal offences.

The charges are among the most serious child-exploitation offences in the Criminal Code and carry significant penalties upon conviction. Obtaining sexual services from a person under 18 and communicating with a person under, or believed to be under, the age of consent for the purpose of committing certain sexual offences are punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

The offences apply even in police sting operations where the accused is communicating with an undercover officer posing as a minor, provided the accused believed the person was underage. Convictions can also result in mandatory registration as a sex offender, restrictions on contact with children and internet use, and other court-ordered conditions.

“This operation sends a clear message that the sexual exploitation of children and vulnerable persons will not be tolerated in our community,” Sergeant Amanda Larche said, adding that operations targeting those seeking to exploit minors are critical since exploitation is driven by demand.

Ottawa police work with others to identify victims of exploitation, many of whom have been subject to manipulation, coercion, addiction, and various forms of abuse, the release says.

The arrests come amid ongoing concerns about child sexual exploitation in Canada. Statistics Canada says police recorded 2,903 online luring incidents in 2024, a 65 percent increase from the previous year and the highest rate since comparable records began in 2014. Overall, police reported 16,905 incidents of online child sexual exploitation in 2024, while the rate of such offences has risen 347 percent since 2014.

Those with information regarding suspected human trafficking or child exploitation should contact police or Crime Stoppers.