Guelph Police Service charge Montreal man in human trafficking investigation

A Guelph Police Service cruiser is seen in this stock photo. (GPS)

A man from Montreal has been charged by the Guelph Police Service for allegedly trafficking an 18-year-old woman across Quebec and Ontario.

An investigation began in early September after officers conducted proactive patrols at a hotel in Guelph’s north-end.

Police said the young woman from Quebec told police she had been recruited into the sex trade after she travelled to Toronto and met the suspect. She said in the months that followed, she was taken to multiple cities in the two provinces.

On Sept. 25, the Laval Police Service in Quebec found the man and arrested him on an outstanding warrant from the Guelph Police Service.

He was brought back to the Ontario city and charged with procuring for sexual services, advertising sexual services, trafficking in persons and obtaining a material benefit from trafficking persons.

Human trafficking involves recruiting, transporting or controlling a person for the purpose of exploiting them sexually or through forced labour. Anyone affected by the crime is urged to come forward.

Help is available through multiple organizations:

• Victim Services Wellington - 519-824-1212, ext. 7304
• Guelph Police Service - 519-824-1212, or 911 in an emergency
• Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis - 519-836-1110 (business hours), 519-836-5710 (24/7 crisis line and shelter) or 1-800-265-7233 (24/7 crisis line and shelter toll-free)