A friend of a 17-year-old girl from Saskatchewan who ALERT believes was lured to Edmonton to be a sex worker alerted police and helped rescue her, along with a second teen.
Three Edmonton suspects are now facing “various human trafficking charges,” according to the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team.
ALERT’s human trafficking unit got a tip in May about a teenager from Saskatchewan being lured to Edmonton to work in the sex industry.
“This young girl had been in contact with a friend, who acted quickly to get Edmonton police involved,” a July 10 ALERT news release said.
“Police were able to rescue her before she was physically sexually exploited,” said Staff Sgt. Christopher Hayes.
The initial call for help was made to Edmonton police. The investigation then led to ALERT’s human trafficking unit.
“Without the girl reaching out for help and asking for it, we wouldn’t know about this situation,” Hayes said. “They are very hard investigations to conduct because, without a willing participant to talk to us, it’s hard for us to investigate.”
A second teenager was identified during the investigation, ALERT said. This teen “had been lured from British Columbia and was coerced into working in the sex trade,” ALERT alleged.
On June 28, two homes and three vehicles were searched. Police seized electronic devices, two loaded handguns, nearly $50,000 and almost 90 grams of cocaine.
A follow-up investigation is looking more closely at the firearms and will determine how they were obtained, ALERT said.
“I’m comfortable saying this is an organized crime investigation, gang-related, cross-Canada organization,” Hayes said.
The accused are 29-year-old Christopher Mucheni, 22-year-old Lauren Wise and 30-year-old Demsey Lorquet-Maura.
ALERT did not provide a photo of the female accused (Wise) due to “ongoing investigations.”
Hayes said the accused are known to police in other parts of Canada, but not to Edmonton police.
“Investigators also interviewed a third teen, as well as a 19-year-old woman,” Hayes said, adding ALERT believes the two were being groomed by the suspects.
“We were able to intervene and both young women are receiving the appropriate supports,” Hayes said.
ALERT said some signs to watch out for that might indicate human trafficking are:
- Wearing new clothing and accessories without money to pay for them;
- Distancing themselves from family and friends;
- Leaving home to travel to other cities;
- Being secretive about their whereabouts;
- Having new friends that little is known about.
Victims of sexual exploitation can report it to the Edmonton Police Service by calling 780-423-4567 or 9-1-1 if they are in immediate danger.
Alternatively, anyone seeking support is encouraged to contact the Safety Network Coordinator with CEASE at 780-471-6137.
There is no time limit on how long a victim has to report a sexual assault in Canada.
Hayes said the crime of human trafficking has been around forever but now, more cases are coming to light.
“I think there’s more awareness to it now, which is a good thing for us, because we’re getting more involved. We’re having more victims talk to us, which is a good thing.
“We’re here to help. We’re here to support them. We work with other support agencies to provide help to victims.”