Police say men from Mexico were forced to work at recycling plants across Canada, including a facility in Sault Ste. Marie; companies weren’t aware victims were trafficked
The Ontario Provincial Police have busted an alleged human trafficking operation that spanned multiple cities across the country — including Sault Ste. Marie.
In a phone interview with SooToday, OPP Detective-Inspector Jordan Whitesell shed some light on the sting’s Sault Ste. Marie connection. It is also not clear how many of the Mexican victims worked in the Sault — one, two or all three — or how long they were here. “I can’t speak to the specifics of whether or not all three of them were there, if they were trafficked together or if they were trafficked individually,” Whitesell said.
On May 16, police executed three search warrants: one in Etobicoke, one in Mississauga and one at a house in Tottenham, a Simcoe County community where the victims were allegedly living in a basement apartment owned by one of the accused traffickers. Miroslaw Blachuta, 72, of Etobicoke, has been charged with three counts of human trafficking of persons and three counts of material benefits in trafficking of persons. He was released on an undertaking and will appear in Brampton court on July 17.
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