A man and woman from Toronto have been charged with a number of human trafficking related offences after police allege young women were transported from Toronto and brought to Ottawa to work in the sex trade.

Police say the female victims are 15, 16 and 17 years old.

Ottawa Police were asked by another police service to locate and check on the condition of a teenager from the Toronto area.

That lead them to a Centretown-area hotel and in the early morning hours of Oct. 24, police located three teens and arrested two people at the scene.

27-year-old Michael Poku and 19-year-old Madison Boucher have been charged with:

  • 3 counts of Trafficking in persons under 18
  • 3 counts of Trafficking in persons, receive material benefit
  • 3 counts of Procuring person under 18 to provide sexual services
  • 3 counts of Advertising another person's sexual services
  • 1 count of Failure to comply with judicial release

Boucher is also charged with breaching probation.

Both Poku and Boucher remain in custody.