Human trafficking is happening in Newfoundland – SaltWire

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Despite advocates' best efforts to raise awareness and understanding, there's long been a misconception in Newfoundland and Labrador that human trafficking isn't a local issue, Angela Crockwell said Thursday, Sept. 15.

Crockwell has done countless media interviews and made numerous public statements since she assumed the role of executive director of Thrive — which runs the Blue Door program, supporting individuals exiting sexually exploitative situations — in 2001, advocating for public awareness and funding.

Still, she said, there's a certain percentage of the population that has seemed not to accept the prevalence of the issue locally and the need for support for survivors of sexual exploitation.

“Even as much as we spoke about what we're doing, I think sometimes it didn't land. People are like, ‘Nah, this is not happening here,'” Crockwell said.

If they needed concrete proof, now they have it, she pointed out during a media briefing at RCMP headquarters in St. John's, in which police provided details of Project Badminton and the arrest of a man long known for exploiting girls and women.

Thirty-six-year-old Dominic Delisle appeared in provincial court Tuesday morning, Sept. 13, by video from Her Majesty's Penitentiary, where he has been held since his Sept. 5 arrest on two counts of human trafficking and one charge each of benefitting from trafficking and benefitting from the provision of sexual services. He and 24-year-old Erik Mello are also facing firearms-related charges as a result of the same investigation, which has also seen the arrest of two other men, yet to be named, on charges related to the trafficking of cocaine, oxycodone, hydromorphone and fentanyl.

Delisle, a native of Quebec believed to have moved to Newfoundland in 2017, has a lengthy criminal record that includes convictions for assaults, weapons offences and drug trafficking, as well as theft over $5,000 and impersonation for signing a lease for a St. John's condo under a fake name, then cleaning out the apartment's contents with his then-spouse and shipping it to Quebec City. Some of Delisle's most serious crimes involve the sexual exploitation of females, including teenage girls.

The Parole Board of Canada once described Delisle as a danger to women, writing in 2014, “You have very little regard for women. Any type of relationship with a woman carries with it a high risk of physical and psychological violence.”

Learn more about how to recognize human trafficking

RCMP Insp. Stefan Thoms told reporters Delisle and the other three accused were arrested after an intelligence probe police conducted after receiving information about a criminal organization engaged in human and drug trafficking. Cocaine and other drugs were being funnelled from B.C. and Ontario into Newfoundland and Labrador, particularly to the west coast of the island and the Northern Peninsula, he said.

The investigation, a partnership between the RCMP and Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, saw police seize more than five kilograms of nearly pure cocaine — with an estimated street value of up to $1.5 million — 3,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl and THC, 320 oxycodone pills, 60 dilaudid pills, 16 pounds of cannabis, $26,000 cash and a loaded semi-automatic handgun, determined to have been stolen from a residence in St. John's two years ago, among other things.

Counterfeit pills, Thoms said, are made to look like prescription medication and can easily prove fatal when laced with fentanyl.

“Even a small amount, just a couple grains of salt, can cause an overdose or fatality,” he said. “We urge anyone using illicit oxycodone or counterfeit pills to always have access to a Naloxone kit.”

Delisle's charges relate to one person who was manipulated into providing sexual services, police said. Other potential victims have been identified.

“Dominic Delisle has been involved in this activity for over 15 years,” Thoms said. “It was evident from his activity that he had no intention of stopping. I believe by effecting the arrest of Dominic Delisle we are preventing further events of human-trafficking taking place. It's now up to the courts from here.”

Delisle's arrest is believed to mark the second time a human-trafficking charge has been laid in Newfoundland and Labrador; the first was in 2014 and the charge was later withdrawn.

Sexual exploitation is a significantly underreported crime, Crockwell said, with many barriers for survivors.

Since the Blue Door program began five years ago, it has provided support to 85 individuals, and Crockwell estimated that number to represent hundreds of others who have not come forward. The program has had a wait list since it began, she said.

Forty-three per cent of those individuals were age 25 or younger at the time of their referral, and a significant number are Indigenous, Crockwell said. They resided in St. John's and rural areas across the province and in Labrador.

“There's a lot of misconception. Most people that we support get up every day and go to school or work. They do often have freedom of movement. It's really important that we dispel the myth of what a victim looks like because it means that we often miss all the signs because we're looking for something that is not accurate,” she said. “We all need to do a better job of educating ourselves on this topic, recognizing the signs and ensuring people get the support they deserve.”

Many individuals don't report sexual exploitation, Crockwell said, due to shame, self-blame or guilt. Many don't recognize they are being exploited. Some have spoken of “just trying to survive” and not having the ability to process what was happening to them. Others have had bad experiences with police in the past or are not willing to involve themselves in a legal system known to be unkind to complainants.

Susan Smith, co-ordinator of the St. John's Status of Women's Council's Safe Harbour Outreach Project (SHOP), which advocates for sex workers, told SaltWire Network people often speak of negative experiences when reporting sexual violence.

“Many people experience disbelief, revictimization and even criminalization when they try to report their experiences of sexual violence,” she said.

SHOP has long advocated for the decriminalization of sex work and one of the most important reasons for that is to increase safety conditions for people who live with the risk of violence and exploitation, Smith said.

“People who have been or might be exploited live with increased risk and without access to support and safety they deserve, while sex workers become wrongfully targeted and penalized by police and the public, all due to laws that increase conditions of violence,” Smith said.

Police say Operation Badminton is ongoing and more charges are expected to be laid against Delisle and Mello.