A woman from Long Plain First Nation in Manitoba is among seven people charged as part of an investigation into child sex trafficking, RCMP said.
Chasity Nicole Assiniboine, 43, was arrested along with six men and faces a slew of charges charges laid by the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit
RCMP allege two, 15-year-old girls were exploited in Portage la Prairie, a small city about an hour west of Winnipeg.
Police told a news conference Tuesday the victims accompanied a woman to various homes between June and December 2023, where they were allegedly sexually assaulted by adult men in exchange for drugs and cash.
Police allege a woman “lured” the girls through the social media platforms Snapchat and Facebook.
RCMP Insp. Shawn Pike said police are also working to identify a 13- or 14-year-old girl who was “also (allegedly) exploited” by the group.
Police say they also seized a quantity of methamphetamine, cocaine and 13 firearms.
“This is human trafficking and it is happening all over Manitoba,” said ICE unit Const. Kirandeep Hira.
“We all need to do our part to protect those victimized by traffickers. If you see something, say something.”
RCMP say there may be more victims.
In a news release, they said 10 search warrants between Feb. 2 and June 4 led them to the seven suspects who face 65 charges, including child luring, sexual assault and drug trafficking.
All of the accused know each other, RCMP said.
