Labour exploitation of 64 Mexican nationals leads to charges for 7 suspects including Mississauga woman
Published March 3, 2023 at 5:45 pm
Seven people have been charged in a major labour exploitation bust in York Region which has rescued 64 Mexican people mistreated, abused and forced to work across the Greater Toronto Area.
York Regional Police launched the investigation, dubbed Project Norte, in Nov. 2022 after they were tipped off about the victims. Joined by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), they discovered that a cadre of organized criminals “enticed” the Mexicans to come to Canada for a better life.
“However, they ended up living in deplorable conditions and were driven to work sites in private buses which were in a state of disrepair. The workers were mistreated, abused and exploited for manual labour at farms, factories and warehouses,” police said.
“The victims lived in squalor and were compelled to work long hours for little pay, while their exploiters reaped the benefits of their labour and lived in luxury,” they continued.
Following months of investigation York Regional Police, the OPP, Toronto Police and Peel Regional Police, raided a series of homes in East Gwillimbury, Mississauga, Toronto and Vaughan on Feb. 8.
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In total, they freed 64 people who had been forced to work and arrested five people believe to be involved in their exploitation. Arrest warrants are out for two more men who remain at large.
The accused are;
- Tre Trinh, 45 of Vaughan charged with
- six counts of human trafficking,
- instructing organized crime,
- committing an offense for organized crime,
- participation in organized crime,
- making material benefit from human trafficking
- Thi Him Huyen Vu, 49 of Vaughan
- four counts of human trafficking
- participation in organized crime,
- making material benefit from human trafficking
- Jesus Navarrete Garcia, 51 of Toronto
- 11 counts of human trafficking
- three counts of sexual assault
- instructing organized crime
- committing an offense for organized crime
- participation in organized crime,
- making material benefit from human trafficking
- Monserrat Monjaras of Mississauga
- five counts of human trafficking
- participation in organized crime,
- making material benefit from human trafficking
- Hiram Amaury Martinez Rodriguez, 48 of East Gwillimbury,
- two counts of human trafficking,
- participation in organized crime,
Additionally, warrants have been issued for;
- Juan de Jesus Rosales Gomez, 31, for participation in organized crime, and
- Luis Alberto Garcia Galvan for uttering a forged document.
The same day as the raids, police set up a Victim Assistance Center to give the victims food, shelter, medical attention, information and support services. All but 11 of the 64 victims accepted help from the Victim Assistance Center and continue to receive support.
Additionally, police seized nine vehicles in the raids including three “dilapidated” buses used to ferry the victims to work sites.
“This investigation has been a difficult one. To see the state of the workers’ living conditions, considering the promises that were made to them, was heartbreaking,” said York police Chief Jim MacSween.
“The Spanish-speaking officers who assisted in the investigation were also deeply affected, as they could see the reflections of their own families and friends in the faces of these hardworking people who were only trying to find a better life,” he concluded.
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