加拿大警方成功破获了两个贩卖妇女团伙,它们是一个为经营卖淫业贩卖亚洲妇女的犯罪集团的重要分支。这些女性多半来自朝鲜和中国。她们通过偷越国境的方式或用假材料获得签证进入加拿大,随后被送到蒙特利尔,哈利法克斯,渥太华,多伦多,温尼伯,卡尔加里,埃德蒙顿和温哥华等城市的地下妓院。
这次警方行动从上周五开始,到星期三结束,在蒙特利尔地区和多伦多地区进行了16次搜查,逮捕了6人。媒体披露了他们的姓名和年龄。
蒙特利尔4人:Kai Chen,37岁;Nan Wy,33岁;Le Yu,38岁;Anyang Cui,26岁。
多伦多2人:Daegun Chun,46岁;Ying Li,31岁。
另外还有两人在逃:20岁的蒙特利尔居民Mélanie Williams-Johnson和34岁的多伦多居民Jeonghwan Seo。
警方在这次突袭行动中还缴获了两辆车,大笔现金和两名嫖客。
The RCMP say they have identified hundreds of potential victims in a cross-Canada prostitution ring broken up by police this week.
The operation involved young women from China and Korea being brought into Canada illegally and forced into prostitution, police said. Six people arrested in Toronto and Montreal are now facing charges.
"In the last year, we estimate at least 500 potential victims were identified," said RCMP Const. Erique Gasse.
"A good number of the women have already returned to their countries ... because there was a certain rotation. There are still women in other cells in Canada."
Arrests were made after 16 raids in Toronto and the greater Montreal area between March 27 and April 1.
Two clients were also arrested during raids on bawdy houses in Montreal. They have both been released on a promise to appear in court.
Smuggled into CanadaThe victims came to Canada via land crossing or with illegitimate visas with the assistance of a criminal organization, the RCMP allege.
Once in the country, the women were forced to perform sex work in Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.
At a news conference today in St-Hubert, Que., RCMP said the "alleged ringleaders" were arrested in Toronto and will appear in court in Montreal on April 2.
The other accused, arrested in Montreal last week, have already appeared in court.
"It's not over yet — we're still doing the investigation," said Gasse. "We seized some computers and cellphones. We hope to find a list of all the victims and maybe a list of the clients."
The six people face charges including:
- Gaining material benefit from sexual services.
- Procuring.
- Procuring a person under 18 years.
- Advertising sexual services.
A 34-year-old man from Toronto, Jeonghwan Seo, and 20-year-old Montreal woman, Mélanie Williams-Johnson, are still wanted in connection with the investigation, dubbed Project Confidence.