Australian National Review – 2 Canadians face 36 human trafficking charges after 10-month investigation

Two Canadian residents are facing 36 charges of human trafficking, the result of a 10-month interprovincial investigation that began last fall in eastern Ontario.

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 report press release.

During the investigation, authorities discovered that the human trafficking network extended into southern Ontario and beyond the provincial borders into Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Following the investigation, police have identified three female victims and arrested two people, the press release said.

A 45-year-old from Brampton, Ontario, and a 33-year-old from Sydney, NS, have been charged with multiple offences, including 17 counts of human trafficking and 19 counts of human trafficking-related offences.

Both suspects remain in custody after appearing in the Ontario Court of Justice in Ottawa on Aug. 23. Their next appearance is scheduled for Sept. 9, police said.

The identity of the suspects has not been released due to a publication ban, police said. No further information will be released.

In addition to the Ontario Provincial Police, police forces in Kingston, Ottawa, Peel, Toronto, Windsor and York counties participated in the current investigation. They also received support from the Edmonton Police Service, the Waterloo Police Service, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency.

The latest charges come about six months after 13 men were arrested at a hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario, in connection with human trafficking. ask further questions by the local police.

Niagara Regional Police have launched an investigation to identify adults who come into contact with minors over the internet to offer them 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 payment from a person under the age of 18, and sexual exploitation of a minor.

Four of the suspects were from Niagara Falls, three from St. Catharines, two from Thorold and one each from Niagara on the Lake, Welland, Windsor and Buffalo, New York. Police did not release the names of the men because of court-ordered publication bans.