'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
Board orders deportation for trucker in horrific Humboldt Broncos crash
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
Italian teenage computer wizard set to become the first saint of the millennial generation
Pope Francis paved the way for the canonization of the first saint of the millennial generation on Thursday, attributing a second miracle to a 15-year-old Italian computer whiz who died of leukemia in 2006.
Milk sold in Canadian grocery stores tested for avian influenza; results released
As avian flu spreads south of the border, Canadian officials are now testing samples of milk sold in grocery stores across the country.
Morgan Spurlock, Oscar-nominated director of 'Super Size Me,' dies at 53
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar-nominee who made food and American diets his life's work, famously eating only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53.
'A really bad car crash': Why health experts are raising concerns over surging syphilis cases
A sexually transmitted infection (STI) that was once thought to be a thing of the past is now a public health priority for North American doctors.
Top Russian military officials are being arrested. Why is it happening?
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
Leaving time on the table: Surveys show unused paid vacation, 'quiet vacationing'
'Quiet vacationing' is the latest new term to describe the rough edges of office culture, and survey data shows it's widespread among North American workers.
Independent Toronto MP Kevin Vuong asks Poilievre to let him join Conservative caucus
Independent Toronto MP Kevin Vuong says he is asking Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to let him join the Tory caucus, and intends to seek a nomination for the party in a Greater Toronto Area riding.
Toddler dies after being struck by recycling truck in Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood
A toddler has died after being struck by a recycling truck in a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.