Human Trafficking Charges Follow Richmond Hill Massage Parlour Bust
Posted July 5, 2010 11:04 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
More than two dozen people were arrested when police busted a Richmond Hill massage parlour allegedly offering sex for money last week. Authorities claim there were women being forced into sex work at that location and they’re hoping more victims will step forward.
Officers executed a search warrant at Club De Lotto at 9 East Wilmot St. on Friday as part of a near year-long investigation. Police say some of the women there “were being forced to work under strict conditions.”
Twenty-five people who were at the spa during the police bust are facing various charges, including extortion, human trafficking, keeping a common bawdy house, living off the avails of prostitution and assault.
Two other search warrants were then issued for addresses on Upper Duke Crescent and Kennedy Road in Markham. Cops allege they found cash and documents linked to Club De Lotto at those locations.
Prostitutes are often victims of crime who’ve been tricked or forced into sex work through threats of violence, York Police said, and investigators believe there may be other victims of alleged human trafficking in connection to this investigation.
If you have any information, call York Regional Police Drugs and Vice Unit at 1-866-876-5423 ext. 7640 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
