Multi-department police investigation nets 6 on human trafficking charges

A newly formed police coalition to fight human trafficking has led to a combined 51 charges for six people.

The Provincial Human Trafficking Intelligence-led Joint Forces Strategy (IJFS) was launched on Wednesday and includes representation from 21 police services from across Ontario.

The 21 participating police agencies include Anishinabek, Awkwesasne, Barrie, Durham, Halton, Hamilton, Kingston, London, Niagara, OPP, Ottawa, Peel, Peterborough, Six Nations, Greater Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Treaty Three, Waterloo, Windsor and York.

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One of the investigations involved Kingston police, who looked into sexual assault and trafficking of a female across Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton during a period spanning December 2019 to January 2020.

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The OPP’s anti-human trafficking unit and the OPP criminal investigation branch aided in the investigation, which identified other potential victims living throughout Ontario and Quebec.

This investigation resulted in the arrest of four people, while investigations conducted by the Barrie Police Service nabbed two more.