Three men were arrested on charges connected to a teen prostitution ring, announced Montreal police on Wednesday.
Cynsurin Robertson, 25, and 24-year-old Rony Gustelia were arrested in Montreal on June 15 while 21-year-old Nadgee Mollenthiel was detained in Edmonton on June 24 under a Canada-wide arrest warrant.
Police said the three men would recruit underage girls from Montreal, Toronto and Alberta and force them into prostitution. They face a total of 22 charges, including pimping, trafficking of persons under the age 18, conspiracy to commit an indictable offense and uttering threats.
According to the SPVM, the investigation into the men had been ongoing for three months.
In April, following several teens running away from a Laval group home, the Quebec government pledged $500,000 to help hire outreach workers to prevent teenagers from becoming prostitutes.
An investigation by Quebec’s auditor into the group home said it respected all procedures and was not at fault for the disappearances.
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of the three is asked to report to an SPVM station to file a complaint.
