ALERT seeing more cases of exploitation
Human trafficking, organized crime and child exploitation continue to be serious issues covered by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams.
During the regular meeting of the Lethbridge Police Commission on Wednesday, Insp. Bill Anderson stated that human trafficking, in its most basic form, is the movement of a person from one place to another and forcefully exploiting them for the purposes of making money off them. This can often take the form of sexual and/or labour exploitation.
In October, ALERT Integrated Intelligence Unit undertook an investigation regarding a female soliciting sex for money online. The female was arrested following an investigation.
As part of the investigation, a male was identified and arrested. He was in possession of the female’s passport at the time.
“The young woman, who was illegally in Canada, was deported to her country of origin,” said Anderson. “The male was charged with several criminal offences related to human trafficking and immigration.”
He added this is not the only investigation of this nature to take place in Lethbridge, and that they are becoming more commonplace.
Recently, ALERT was involved in an investigation involving members of a known Winnipeg street gang operating in the city and supplying drugs to Lethbridge and area, including the Blood Reserve.
On Wednesday, ALERT announced they had seized nearly 800 fentanyl pills along with cash, other drugs and a loaded hand gun.
Anderson said the seizure will make a dent in the availability of the street drugs, but more importantly, could save the lives of fentanyl users who might otherwise have accidentally overdosed on the drug.
ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation unit continues to work to limit the vulnerability and exploitation of children by identifying victimized children and then participating in and insisting in the prosecution of alleged sexual offenders.
Anderson said ICE is working on expanding the amount of education and prevention initiatives in order to enhance the enforcement component of the unit.
“A recent investigation echoes the message that the internet knows no boundaries when a male from Liverpool, U.K., was arrested, detained and charged with child exploitation offences after communicating with a young female here in Lethbridge,” he said. “He was communicating with that female from Liverpool in the United Kingdom.”
Follow @JWSchnarrHerald on Twitter