Achi news desk-
New Brunswick RCMP say a welfare 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 conducted a welfare check on a young woman at a residence on Ward Street on April 12.
Police say they have determined the woman was reported missing from Ontario and was a victim of human trafficking.
Officers attended a Dieppe residence on Gauvin Road and found another young woman who had been reported missing from Ontario on April 16.
Police say they also found a woman from Quebec who was a victim of human trafficking.
An 18-year-old woman, Saphira Bastien, was arrested at the scene and is facing charges.
Bastien was remanded in custody and a bail hearing is expected on Friday.
‘They did the right thing’
Inspector. Chantal Farrah of the Codiac Regional RCMP calls it a “major investigation” with two dozen members involved.
Farrah says that human trafficking cases like these are not obvious to detect and that residents need to “turn on” when they see something out of place.
“I can tell you that was specifically the well-being check on Ward Street. Someone saw something that looked out of place. They did the right thing. They followed their gut. They called us,” he told CTV Atlantic’s Derek Haggett. “Because of that person, we saved that young person. That’s huge.”
Farrah encourages anyone who may be involved in human trafficking to reach out to the police.
“I would like to stress to anyone, if you are a victim of human trafficking, if you are being controlled, if you are in a situation and you don’t know how to get out of it, we are there to help, ” he said. “It’s never too late.”
But what should people look for?
“Be aware. If you see people who aren’t from here, they look confused, they’re young, they’re not sure what they’re doing here, all kinds of signs different. If something is not right, ask us for a welfare check,” he said.
