Police in Toronto say that nearly 400 children have been freed from being forced to engage in child pornography after a three-year investigation.

The investigation into Azov Films that produced DVDs and streamed videos of naked boys from Germany, Romania and the Ukraine claimed they were “naturists” and said they were legal in the Canada and the U.S.

The investigation, code named Project Spade, resulted in 100 arrests in Canada and 240 in other countries around the world.

The head of the company, Canadian citizen Brian Way, has been in custody since being arrested in May 2011 following an undercover operation. He faces charges with 11 different crimes including possession of and the import and export of child pornography.

The Toronto Police Service Child Exploitation Section used the Azov Films website to obtain the identities and contact information of customers.