Police have rescued 64 Mexican-born workers who were exploited for labour by a human trafficking ring that operated across the Greater Toronto Area. Seven people have been charged, including five arrested on multiple criminal charges.
Police said the victims were living in “deplorable conditions” including overcrowding, with dozens of people sleeping on mattresses on the floor. They also suffered from a lack of food and were subjected to various forms of coercion and control, which include “isolation, a lack of freedom, being financially bound, threats, and sexual assault.”
“This case has affected everyone profoundly. Our members were shocked at the conditions that the victims were living in, and wanted nothing more [than] to do anything they could to assist them,” Deputy Chief Alvaro Almeida of the York Regional Police (YRP) said at a press conference on March 3….