Man convicted of human trafficking after woman escapes, calls 911: police

An Ontario man was convicted and sentenced to prison time in a human trafficking case after a woman escaped her captor and contacted police in Markham, leading to a second victim being located.

York Regional Police said an investigation was launched in Sept. 2023 after a victim escaped from her alleged trafficker’s residence on Pond Drive near Hwy. 7.

Authorities identified the male suspect as Sherifdeen Tokumboh Fashola, and through the investigation, a second victim was located.

On Nov. 20, Fashola was convicted of deriving material benefits from sexual services and was sentenced to 120 days in jail and probation for two years.

On Jan. 3, 2024, police said the accused will return to court to face additional charges, including human trafficking, receiving material benefit, deriving material benefit and procuring, among other related offences.

Fashola uses the aliases of Adam and Leo and is believed to have additional locations near the Ottawa area, police said.

Officers have released the man’s image, hoping it will lead to additional victims coming forward.