A 23-year-old man from Laval is one of three suspects facing drug and human trafficking charges after their vehicle was stopped and searched by Ontario Provincial Police at an ONroute rest stop along Highway 401.
The OPP were alerted on Thursday to the presence of the trio, which included a minor, by the regional police force for the area who said they had been tracking the phone of the minor who had been reported missing in Quebec.
The OPP finally located the vehicle in the parking lot of the Highway 401 Kingston ONroute.
The police determined that two of the passengers were victims of human trafficking.
During a search, they found around 500 grams of suspected cocaine, multiple weapons and a little less than $1,500 in Canadian currency.
According to a report published by the online news site QuinteNews, police also seized cell phones, as well as scales and materials associated with drug and human trafficking.
Mathis Bourgeois, 23, of Laval, Joseph-Jean Pevensly, 29, of Longueuil, and a youth from Magog who cannot be identified under Ontario’s Youth Criminal Justice Act were charged.
The charges include:
- Possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking;
- Human trafficking;
- Human trafficking a person under 18;
- Material benefit from trafficking in persons;
- Material benefit from trafficking in persons under 18;
- Possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime under $5000.
Additional charges filed against Bourgeois include:
- Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose;
- Failure to comply with a probation order – two counts;
- Driving a motor vehicle with liquor readily available;
- Driving a motor vehicle with cannabis readily available.
