4 women, 1 man charged in Ontario human trafficking case involving 13 victims
Four women and one man have been charged in connection with year-long human trafficking investigation in Mississauga that police say involved 13 victims who "came to Canada for a better life" but were instead coerced into working in the sex trade.
On Wednesday morning, police held a news conference to announce charges in the investigation, dubbed “Project Pacific, which was launched in April of 2022.
“The Peel Regional Police vice unit received a community complaint regarding an illegal bawdy house operating out of a condominium apartment in the city of Mississauga,” Det. David Laing told reporters at Peel police headquarters on Wednesday.
“Vice investigators identified a criminal network operating multiple illegal bawdy houses within the city of Mississauga. It was determined that these illegal bawdy houses were being openly advertised for sexual services on the internet.”
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
He said the suspects in the case exploited the vulnerabilities of the victims to “coerce and manipulate them into working and living within these illegal bawdy houses.”
“All 13 victims in this investigation are of Chinese descent and have varying immigration status,” Laing added.
David Laing, Det. Specialized Enforcement Bureau, speaks to the media on May 31, 2023. (CTV News Toronto)
“One thing that all of these victims had in common was that they came to Canada for a better life, however 12 of these victims were recruited domestically.”
Search warrants were carried in Mississauga, Milton, and Markham on March 27 and as a result, two women were arrested.
Leung Ngai, a 59-year-old Milton resident, was charged with exercising control, direction of influence, three counts of deriving material benefit from sexual services, communicating for the purpose for consideration for sexual service, three counts of trafficking a controlled substance, and two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Yuan Yuan Zhang, a 39-year-old Markham woman, was charged with six counts of communicating for the purpose for consideration for sexual service.
Police say the search warrants resulted in the seizure of Canadian and U.S. currency, multiple cellphones and other electronic storage devices, and a quantity of drugs.
On April 5, another round of search warrants were executed on five homes and two vehicles, leading to the arrest of two more women, police say. Drugs and Canadian currency were also seized.
Yu-Hobley Lan, a 63-year-old Mississauga resident, was charged with exercising control, direction or influence, three counts of deriving material benefit from sexual service, and possession of a controlled substance.
Kwai Lin Tso, a 55-year-old woman who also resides in Mississauga, was charged with communicating for the purpose for consideration for sexual service, and possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Police say a 71-year-old man was also arrested in connection with the case on April 14. Eamonn Handrahan, of Mississauga, was charged with one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
“Investigators anticipate additional charges to be laid against members of this criminal network for their financial gain and exploitation of the victims identified as we continue to gather and review the abundance of evidence seized throughout this investigation,” Laing said.
“As we believe there are additional victims and witnesses, we ask them to come forward.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.