North Bay businessman charged in alleged human trafficking operation: police
North Bay police say a man has been arrested and charged following an eight-month investigation into human trafficking.
Police say the accused — a North Bay businessman — was taken into custody without incident on May 28.
In a Monday news release North Bay police said they launched an investigation in October after receiving reports involving unpaid wages, the sale of immigration documents, and coercion of foreign nationals into paying for being added to the payroll.
"The investigation revealed that a North Bay employer exploited a foreign national by requiring payment for documents essential to their immigration application," police said in the release.
According to police, on May 28, officers — with the support of the Provincial Human Trafficking Intelligence-led Joint Forces Strategy (IJFS) and the Ministry of Labour — executed search warrants at three business locations within the City of North Bay.
The accused was taken into custody and slapped with multiple charges including human trafficking, material benefit from human trafficking, laundering proceeds of crime, and fraud over $5,000, police say.
Police say the accused was released on house arrest on Monday and the courts have issued a publication ban, which prohibits the publication, broadcast, or transmission of specific information related to the case.
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