Innisfil human trafficking case suspects appear in court
Several men accused of trafficking women at an Innisfil residence before being arrested by South Simcoe police late last year appeared in court on Thursday.
Among them is Oneil Hopkinson, a 38-year-old with ties to Newmarket and Brampton whom police say turned himself in last fall. Along with being accused of advertising sexual services and benefitting from sexual services, Hopkinson is also charged with sexual assault.
On Thursday, his coaccused Tyrone Dias also appeared from the jail in Penetanguishene. This comes about a week after police announced that Dias’ sister was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly trying to interfere in the case against her brother, who was denied bail.
South Simcoe police say Samantha Davenport tried to pay an alleged victim in the case to act as a surety for Dias to get him out of custody.
Hung Lam, Joseph Carvalho and Edgar Martinez were represented in virtual court in Bradford on Thursday.
They were each granted bail after being charged with several sex and drug trafficking counts, including procuring, advertising, and materially benefitting from sexual services.
Royden Reis of Barrie was also charged in the Project Chameleon bust with four counts of drug possession for trafficking a controlled substance.
Jashyna Singh of Brampton remains behind bars, charged with trafficking the women for sex along with drugs. Singh is scheduled to be back in court on Friday.
Defence lawyers for the accused are trying to reach an agreement regarding the evidence investigators have concerning their clients.
Police said two residences were searched in November, alleging they seized $30,000 worth of drugs. Investigators also confirmed three women were safely removed from the home.
Lam, Carvalho and Martinez are scheduled to return to court in May; their coaccused next week.
The allegations against all of the accused mentioned have not been tested in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Looking over our shoulders': A killing looms large in a little B.C. town
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished. It used to be the sort of place where parents let their kids roam free or play in the local creek, but everything has changed.
Officer who arrested Scottie Scheffler is being disciplined for not having bodycam activated
The Kentucky police officer who arrested top-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler outside the PGA Championship is receiving “corrective action” for failing to have his body-worn camera activated.
Toronto man falls off his chair after seeing $70M Lotto Max win in his bank account
A Toronto man who won $70 million in a recent Lotto Max draw literally fell off his chair when he saw the funds in his bank account – and the life-changing moment was caught on video.
Montreal-area high school students protest 'sexist' dress code
Students at Curé-Antoine-Labelle High School near Montreal are protesting after they say their school's administration started pushing what they call a 'sexist' dress code.
Air travel is expensive. WestJet wants the government to do more to change that
WestJet is asking the federal government to put measures in place to lower ticket costs for travellers, but questions remain on who would foot the bill.
Hundreds have applied for this 'adventurer' job in Banff National Park
Coined as Banff's 'ultimate summer job,' the Moraine Lake Bus Company says hundreds of people from across the world have applied for its adventurer position.
Dangerous brew: Ocean heat and La Nina combo likely mean more Atlantic hurricanes this summer
Get ready for what nearly all the experts think will be one of the busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record, thanks to unprecedented ocean heat and a brewing La Nina.
U.S. senators write to Trudeau asking him to meet 2% GDP defence spending commitment
A bipartisan group of 23 U.S. senators have written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging his country to live up to its commitment to spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence amid concerns that key members of the NATO alliance are not pulling their weight.
Potential tornado 'surreal' for residents who witnessed damaging storm in southern Ontario
Witnessing a potential tornado was 'surreal' for residents who caught a glimpse of the damaging storm in southern Ontario on Wednesday night.