On Thursday, December 17, 2015, the Toronto Police Service Sex Crimes Human Trafficking Enforcement Team started an investigation into a Human Trafficking occurrence.
It is alleged that:
- in September 2015, a 15-year-old girl travelled from British Columbia to visit family members in Ontario
- during her stay, she was introduced to a man
- they exchanged cell numbers
- in late-November 2015, the man messaged her, asking if she wanted to go out
- she agreed and the man, along with another man, he picked her up
- all three went out
- the two men supplied her with a large quantity of alcohol and drugs
- she was taken to a Toronto hotel where she was forced into the sex trade industry
- she was told she had to pay off the cost of the transportation to Toronto and the cost of the hotel room
- the men took photos of her in certain degrees of undress and posted them on backpages.com, advertising sexual services
- they told her what to charge her clients for specific sex acts
- they were aware she was 15 years of age
- she was forced to have sex with clients and turn over all the money to them
- she was forced to work, over a period of three weeks, in various hotels in Oshawa, Toronto and Niagara Falls, on a daily basis, having sex with ten or more clients a day
- during a stay in a hotel in Oshawa, she was kicked out of the room and the accused parties told her she would have to work more to pay for the inconvenience of being removed from the hotel
- at this point, the men enlisted the assistance of a third man, to register the hotel rooms for her and her clients
- on Thursday, December 17, 2015, she was able to call the police
Between June 2 and June 6, 2016, as a result of an extensive investigation, members of the Human Trafficking Enforcement Team arrested all three men.
Ahmadu Ahmed, 20, of Toronto, is charged with:
1) Trafficking in persons under 18 Years
2) Material Benefit - under 18 Years
3) Material Benefit from Sexual Services
4) Trafficking in Persons by Exercising Control
5) Procuring Person under 18 Years
6) Advertising Another Person’s Sexual Services
Maher Saleh, 20, of Toronto, is charged with:
1) Trafficking in persons under 18 Years
2) Material Benefit - under 18 Years
3) Material Benefit from Sexual Services
4) Trafficking in Persons by Exercising Control
5) Procuring Person under 18 Years
6) Advertising Another Person’s Sexual Services
Jerome Laing, 19, of Toronto, is charged with:
1) Trafficking in Person Under 18
2) Receive Material Benefit from Sexual Services
3) Receive Material Benefit Under 18
Jerome Laing appeared in court at College Park on Thursday, June 2, 2016, 2 p.m., room 501.
The other two men appeared in court at College Park on Monday, June 6, 2016, 2 p.m., room 501
Police are concerned there may be other victims.
Police would like to encourage all affected individuals to come forward and report Human Trafficking occurrences to police. We want to make sure that everyone has access to support services and an exit strategy, regardless of their decision to proceed criminally.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7474, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637). Download the free Crime Stoppers Mobile App on iTunes, Google Play or Blackberry App World.
Human Trafficking means every person who recruits, transports, transfers, receives, holds, conceals or harbours a person, or exercises control, direction or influence over the movements of a person, for the purpose of exploiting them or facilitating their exploitation, for a sexual purpose or a forced labour purpose. Victims can be men, women or children; can be Canadian citizens; and can be moved across local, provincial or national borders. They can be coerced through violence or the threat of violence against family and friends. The Human Trafficking Enforcement Team of Sex Crimes is dedicated to investigating these crimes against vulnerable members of society. For more information, please visit the Sex Crimes Sex Crimes website.
Please download the Toronto Police Service Mobile App for iOS or Android.
For more news, visit TPSnews.ca.
It is alleged that:
- in September 2015, a 15-year-old girl travelled from British Columbia to visit family members in Ontario
- during her stay, she was introduced to a man
- they exchanged cell numbers
- in late-November 2015, the man messaged her, asking if she wanted to go out
- she agreed and the man, along with another man, he picked her up
- all three went out
- the two men supplied her with a large quantity of alcohol and drugs
- she was taken to a Toronto hotel where she was forced into the sex trade industry
- she was told she had to pay off the cost of the transportation to Toronto and the cost of the hotel room
- the men took photos of her in certain degrees of undress and posted them on backpages.com, advertising sexual services
- they told her what to charge her clients for specific sex acts
- they were aware she was 15 years of age
- she was forced to have sex with clients and turn over all the money to them
- she was forced to work, over a period of three weeks, in various hotels in Oshawa, Toronto and Niagara Falls, on a daily basis, having sex with ten or more clients a day
- during a stay in a hotel in Oshawa, she was kicked out of the room and the accused parties told her she would have to work more to pay for the inconvenience of being removed from the hotel
- at this point, the men enlisted the assistance of a third man, to register the hotel rooms for her and her clients
- on Thursday, December 17, 2015, she was able to call the police
Between June 2 and June 6, 2016, as a result of an extensive investigation, members of the Human Trafficking Enforcement Team arrested all three men.
Ahmadu Ahmed, 20, of Toronto, is charged with:
1) Trafficking in persons under 18 Years
2) Material Benefit - under 18 Years
3) Material Benefit from Sexual Services
4) Trafficking in Persons by Exercising Control
5) Procuring Person under 18 Years
6) Advertising Another Person’s Sexual Services
Maher Saleh, 20, of Toronto, is charged with:
1) Trafficking in persons under 18 Years
2) Material Benefit - under 18 Years
3) Material Benefit from Sexual Services
4) Trafficking in Persons by Exercising Control
5) Procuring Person under 18 Years
6) Advertising Another Person’s Sexual Services
Jerome Laing, 19, of Toronto, is charged with:
1) Trafficking in Person Under 18
2) Receive Material Benefit from Sexual Services
3) Receive Material Benefit Under 18
Jerome Laing appeared in court at College Park on Thursday, June 2, 2016, 2 p.m., room 501.
The other two men appeared in court at College Park on Monday, June 6, 2016, 2 p.m., room 501
Police are concerned there may be other victims.
Police would like to encourage all affected individuals to come forward and report Human Trafficking occurrences to police. We want to make sure that everyone has access to support services and an exit strategy, regardless of their decision to proceed criminally.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7474, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637). Download the free Crime Stoppers Mobile App on iTunes, Google Play or Blackberry App World.
Human Trafficking means every person who recruits, transports, transfers, receives, holds, conceals or harbours a person, or exercises control, direction or influence over the movements of a person, for the purpose of exploiting them or facilitating their exploitation, for a sexual purpose or a forced labour purpose. Victims can be men, women or children; can be Canadian citizens; and can be moved across local, provincial or national borders. They can be coerced through violence or the threat of violence against family and friends. The Human Trafficking Enforcement Team of Sex Crimes is dedicated to investigating these crimes against vulnerable members of society. For more information, please visit the Sex Crimes Sex Crimes website.
Please download the Toronto Police Service Mobile App for iOS or Android.
For more news, visit TPSnews.ca.