Police say it's related to obtaining prostitution from under 18-year olds
13 men have been charged by police with various crimes related to human trafficking.
Niagara Regional Police, along with the help of multiple police forces from Ontario, Canada and the US, began looking into suspects using the internet to meet with young people, under 18 years old, who appeared to be offering prostitution.
Police say they arrested the 13 suspects between January 31st and February 3rd at a Niagara Falls hotel.
The men range in age from 20 to 60, one is from Windsor, another is from Buffalo, the rest are from the Niagara region.
They all had bail hearings, their names are not published due to a court ban.
Police add each has been charged with luring a child for prostitution, obtaining sexual services for consideration from someone under 18-years old, and inviting sexual exploitation of a young person.
Niagara regional police would also like to acknowledge the following police forces for their help:
- OPP Anti-Human Trafficking Intelligence Led Joint Force Strategy (Windsor Police Service, Barrie Police Service, Halton Regional Police Service, Kingston Police Service, Durham Regional Police Service, Hamilton Police Service)
- OPP Border Enforcement Security Team
- Canada Border Services Agency
- Department of Homeland Security (USA)
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Police also have these websites available to learn about Human Trafficking and Internet Child Exploitation.
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