'They followed their gut': N.B. RCMP say wellbeing check led to rescue of human trafficking victims
The New Brunswick RCMP says a wellbeing check that led to the rescue of three women from alleged human trafficking in Moncton earlier this month was the result of someone following their gut.
Officers performed the wellbeing check on a young woman at a residence on Ward Street on April 12.
Police say they determined the woman was reported missing from Ontario and she was a victim of human trafficking.
Officers attended a Dieppe residence on Gauvin Road and found another young female who was reported missing from Ontario on April 16.
Police say they also found an adult woman from Quebec who was a human trafficking victim.
An 18-year-old woman, Saphira Bastien, was arrested at the scene and is facing charges.
Bastien was remanded into custody and is scheduled for a bail hearing on Friday.
'They did the right thing'
Insp. Chantal Farrah of the Codiac Regional RCMP is calling it a "major investigation" with two dozen members involved.
Farrah says human trafficking cases like these are not obvious to detect and residents need to be “switched on” when they see something out of place.
“I can tell you that the wellbeing check on Ward Street was specifically that. Someone saw something that looked out of place. They did the right thing. They followed their gut. They called us,” she told CTV Atlantic’s Derek Haggett. “Because of that person, we saved that young person. That's tremendous."
Farrah is encouraging anyone who may be involved in human trafficking to reach out to police.
"I'd like to stress to anyone that if you are a victim of human trafficking, if you're being controlled, if you're in a situation and you don't know how to get out of it, we're there to help,” she says. “It's never too late."
But what should people look out for?
"Be aware. If you're seeing people that aren't from here, they look confused, they're young, they’re not sure what they're doing here, all kinds of different signs. If something's not right, ask us for a wellbeing check,” she says.
'Trust their gut'
Julia Drydyk, the executive director at the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, said human trafficking has been taking place in the Maritimes for decades.
“Research that was conducted by the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking in 2020 shows that there are very distinct human trafficking corridors moving from Halifax through Truro into Moncton often moving victims to keep them isolated and to avoid law enforcement,” said Drydyk.
More often than not, Drydyk said the trafficker knows the victim and it looks far more like intimate partner violence than kidnapping.
“So it’s really important that Canadians trust their gut. If something feels off, they should follow that,” said Drydyk.
The Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline (1-833-900-1010) is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
Custom baseball card released of Blue Jays fan struck in the face with foul ball
Liz McGuire, the Blue Jays fan who was struck in the face with a 110 m.p.h. foul ball last week, has been pictured on a custom baseball trading card applauding her fandom to the game.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Pro-Palestinian protesters expected to meet with U of T administration
Pro-Palestinian protesters who have set up an encampment on the University of Toronto campus are expected to meet with school officials today.
Grayson Murray, two-time PGA Tour winner, dead at 30
Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died Saturday morning at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial.
Are you a loud snorer? You could have sleep apnea
You'll have a lot more energy throughout the day if you get a good night's sleep, but not everyone does due to a medical condition.
Beer Store planning to 'thrive and adapt' as Ontario announces changes to alcohol sales starting this summer
The Beer Store says it is looking forward to the next stage in its “evolution” as the province rolls out an accelerated timeline for expanding retail alcohol sales in Ontario.
Here's what every key witness said at Donald Trump's hush money trial. Closing arguments are coming
After 22 witnesses, including a porn actor, tabloid publisher and White House insiders, testimony is over at Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York.
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.