Edmonton trio accused of trafficking Sask., B.C. teens
CTV
Three people from Edmonton are accused of luring girls from other provinces to work in the sex trade.
Three people from Edmonton are accused of luring girls from other provinces to work in the sex trade.
Christopher Mucheni, 29, Demsey Lorquet-Maura, 30, and Lauren Wise, 22, "all face numerous human trafficking charges," police announced on Monday.
The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams launched an investigation in May, after the friend of a 17-year-old victim from Saskatchewan went to police.
The victim had been lured "under the guise of potential work in Edmonton. By the time she got here and was acquainted with the people who lured her here, she was able to figure out she was lured to be working in the sex trade," Staff Sgt. Christopher Hayes, from ALERT's human trafficking unit, said Monday.
Hayes said the girl immediately told contacts in Saskatchewan, who got authorities involved. Edmonton Police Service rescued her and brought in ALERT, whose investigators learned of a second teen from British Columbia who had been coerced into working in the sex trade.
They also interviewed two other young people who were being "groomed" by the accused.
"The suspects rented an expensive condo downtown. They both had two-year-old, high-end, expensive vehicles. Drugs, money, guns. They didn't have jobs. They were making all the money to pay for their expensive lifestyle off these girls they were working," Hayes said.
