Halton cops lay 85 charges in human trafficking bust
· Toronto Sun
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Halton Regional Police arrested nine individuals and charged them with multiple crimes in the largest human trafficking bust in the history of the Halton service.
“For the last 10 months our investigators have been working around the clock to dismantle a coordinated human trafficking network responsible for exploiting female victims in the commercial sex trade in Ontario and Canada,” Halton Regional Police Deputy Police Chief Jeff Hill said on Tuesday morning in Oakville.
“Human trafficking is not a crime that exists in isolation; it affects the safety, security and well-being of our entire community.”
Twelve women between the ages of 18 and 34 were rescued in the operation.
In total, 85 criminal charges were laid against the accused.
“This investigation demonstrates that human trafficking knows no borders and knows no boundaries,” Hill said. “And while the scope of these crimes reaches far beyond our region’s borders, some of these offenders were operating and living here in Halton.”
Seized items estimated value at $1M
Some of the items seized in the bust were a Lamborghini Urus, Mercedes-Benz S550, Mercedes-Benz AMG GT, 2 Sea-Doo GTR, a quantity of drugs including cocaine, cannabis, oxycodone and psilocybin, approximately $30,000 in Canadian and US currency, and an estimated $450,000 in high-end jewelry and electronic devices.
Police estimate that the dollar figure of the seized items is less than $1 million.
Termed Project Troubadour, the investigation began in September of last year when a female came forward to the police as a victim of exploitation, initiating an investigation into the alleged incidents in the Greater Toronto Area.
Members of the Peel Regional Police, Ontario Provincial Police and the Criminal Intelligence Service assisted in the case.
“This multi-jurisdictional investigation exemplifies the best of policing. Investigators infiltrated networks designed to profit off the harm of others, dismantled their control and delivered justice for those who have been forever impacted by these crimes,” Hill said.
More to come…