A 33-year-old Ottawa man has been charged with 76 criminal offences following a months-long investigation by Ottawa Police into several local massage parlours.
Some of the charges against Zhao Liu include recruiting for the purpose of human trafficking, advertising another person’s sexual services, and receiving material benefit from another’s sexual services.
A total of 17 women are alleged to be victims of the prostitution and human trafficking operation.
Another woman was arrested with Liu, but was later released without charge.
Search warrants were executed at residential locations on Charles Street, Merivale Road and York Street as part of the investigation. Police seized $14,000 in cash.
The investigation was launched in April following an Ottawa Police Human Trafficking Unit community safety project that focused on massage parlours, and is ongoing, according to an Ottawa Police Service news release.