halton cops lay 85 charges in human trafficking bust
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thanks to the courageous act of one woman, police say nine individuals were arrested and charged with multiple heinous crimes.
“in september of 2025, a strong and brave woman came forward (to us) as a survivor of exploitation,” halton regional police service supt. david costantini said on tuesday morning in oakville. “this resulted in an investigation into the alleged incident that had been taking place across the greater toronto area. thanks to her incredible courage, what ensued was a 10-month investigation that uncovered an additional 11 victims who were (allegedly) subjected to commercial sexual exploitation over an extended period of time.”
termed project troubadour, halton cops busted the largest human trafficking ring in the history of the service.
“i can’t tell you what motivated her to come forward, but we are appreciative she did,” det. scott heyerman said. “her actions will protect other women in the future.”
heyerman said the woman in question had allegedly been trafficked about 15 years and linked to one of the accused, omar brooks. to protect the identity and safety of every woman involved, a publication ban is in place.
wiretaps and surveillance were used to identify and arrest individuals believed to be involved. not including halton, eight additional police services across the gta were part of the project.
on july 13, the halton human trafficking unit executed search warrants at 10 residences; five in halton region, four in peel region and one in toronto.
“what fueled and targeted disruption of this group is our shared commitment to pursuing criminals relentlessly as they pursued their victims,” halton police deputy police chief jeff hill said. “we hope this marks a new beginning for the women who endured unimaginable pain. i want them and every person who is or has experienced such suffering, to know you do not have to go through it alone. we will support and advocate for you every step of the way.”
the vehicles seized as part of project troubadour. (halton regional police service)
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seized items estimated value at $1m
cars, watercraft, electronic devices, drugs and jewelry were also confiscated in the seizure. heyerman estimates the total value of the goods seized at close to $1 million.
the individuals arrested and charged include omar brooks, 40, of burlington, christian collins, 31, of milton, michelle dimarco, 33, of burlington, nicholas bennett, 32, of mississauga, merlyn brooks, 74, of burlington, malinda brooks, 45, of burlington, malisha brooks, 45, of burlington, johnathan green, 40, of toronto, and jaidis brooks-reynolds, 26, of mississauga.
omar brooks was charged with 34 offences alone.
in total, 85 criminal charges were laid. some of the charges include trafficking in persons, procuring illicit sexual intercourse, assault with a weapon, laundering proceeds of crime, receiving material benefit from sexual services and advertising sexual services.
“this is just the tip of the iceberg,” costantini said, noting that police continue to further investigate the depth and breadth of this network.
“we believe there are additional victims,” heyerman added.
the age of these women ranges from 18 to 34 years of age. the police would not divulge specifics as to where the women are specifically from. the women were also trafficked across canada, not just the gta.
heyerman wouldn’t go into any detail about how these women were allegedly sold for sexual services, but he did include one detail.
“it is quite common to use various websites, is the main way, or advertisements are sent out to, i am not going to glorify the actual website, but there are websites where ads are being posted for sexual purposes across the country,” he said.
police expect further charges to be laid in this case.
“this investigation demonstrates that human trafficking knows no borders and knows no boundaries,” hill said. “and while the scope of these crimes reaches far beyond our region’s borders, some of these offenders were operating and living here in halton.”
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anyone with information, or anyone who may have been victimized by any of the accused is asked to contact the human trafficking unit at 905-825-4747 ext 5241 or crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (tips).
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