National human trafficking investigation leads to arrest in Niagara Falls

An Ontario man has been arrested following a year-long national human trafficking investigation by the RCMP.

In April 2016, Nova Scotia RCMP received information indicating that men originally from the province had relocated to Ontario and were trafficking and exploiting women from Nova Scotia in the sex trade throughout Canada.

RCMP officers from British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland, along with Halifax Regional Police worked together to try and locate the victims of human trafficking from Nova Scotia.

On March 27, 2017, Niagara police arrested 31-year-old Lorenzo Trevor Thomas in Niagara Falls. Officers executed a search warrant at a St. Catharines home and found a loaded 45 calibre handgun.

Thomas is facing a total of 17 charges including advertising sexual services, careless use of a firearm, possession of a firearm with serial number removed, and failure to comply with probation order.

He remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in Niagara Provincial Court on May 9.

Police say numerous victims of human trafficking were identified throughout the investigation.

“Human trafficking investigations are complex as they are often reliant on victims coming forward. These victims are generally isolated, taken far away from home and made to fear for their safety,” says Supt. Alfredo Bangloy, Federal Policing Officer. “We know there are other victims of human trafficking from Nova Scotia out there. Our goal is to find these women, get them to safety, and go after their traffickers.”

Human trafficking involves controlling, forcing, intimidating or deceiving a person in order to exploit him or her through various forms of sexual exploitation or forced labour.