Two Canadian residents are facing 36 human trafficking-related charges following a 10-month interprovincial investigation that started in eastern Ontario last fall.
Reports of suspected human trafficking in eastern Ontario last September led to the launch of “Project Nebula” by a joint police task force known as the Provincial Human Trafficking Intelligence-led Joint Forces Strategy, police said in a press release.
Authorities discovered during the course of the investigation that the human trafficking network extended into southern Ontario and reached beyond provincial borders into Quebec and Nova Scotia.
The task force, made up of RCMP, as well as provincial and municipal police forces, identified three female victims and arrested two individuals as a result of the investigation, the release said.
A 45-year-old from Brampton, Ont., and a 33-year-old from Sydney, N.S., have been charged with multiple offences, including 17 human trafficking charges and 19 human trafficking-related charges.
Both of the accused remain in custody after appearing before the Ontario Court of Justice in Ottawa on Aug. 23. Their next appearance is set for Sept. 9, police said.
The identities of the accused have not been released due to a publication ban, police said, adding that further information will not be released.
Along with the Ontario Provincial Police, police forces in Kingston, Ottawa, Peel, Toronto, Windsor, and York districts were part of the current investigation with additional support provided by Edmonton Police Service, Waterloo Police Service, Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, and the Canada Border Services Agency.
The most recent charges come some six months after 13 men were arrested at a Niagara Falls, Ont., hotel in connection with a human trafficking probe by local police.
The Niagara Regional Police launched the investigation to target adults who used the internet to meet up with minors believed to be offering sexual services.
The suspects, who ranged in age from 22 to 60, were charged with luring a child for the purpose of obtaining sexual services, obtaining sexual services for consideration from a person under 18 years, and sexual exploitation of a young person.
Four of the accused hailed from Niagara Falls, three were from St. Catharines, two were from Thorold, and one each was from Niagara on the Lake, Welland, Windsor and Buffalo, New York. Police did not release any of the men’s names due to court-ordered publication bans.
