Mahin Shahriar, 28, who came to Canada from Bangladesh in 2019, told the Canadian Press he accepted an invitation from a friend to visit a property near Montreal, which he now suspects was part of a broader human trafficking operation. He says the alleged property was in a rural area and when he couldn't find it, he called the acquaintance for directions. Then I found myself in the US, he said. It was not my intention. Shahriar approached immigration officials when he realized his mistake and was subsequently detained.
Authorities have seized $15bn (11.3bn) worth of bitcoin and a string of luxury London properties in a joint UK-US crackdown on criminal masterminds behind romance scam centres in south-east Asia. The bitcoin confiscated by US investigators is the largest seizure in the history of the Department of Justice. A multi-million mansion and office block in the City of London are among 19 UK properties also being seized as the two governments issue sanctions on a gang that runs such scam centres on an industrial scale.
The U.S. Department of Justice through the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) provides grant funding to combat human trafficking, but the monies expired last month. Applications to renew funding are not available presently. The grant covered funding for advocates, training for trauma-informed interviewing and overtime, hampers the county's ability to fund operations during the sporting events, according to attorney Bryan Slater, who oversees human trafficking prosecutors in the District Attorney's office.
unlicensed activity, evidence of unlawful habitation within the commercial spaces, and multiple code violations including unpermitted construction, blocked egress, and unsanitary conditions,
Investigations into trafficking and human exploitation have lost momentum because U.S. President Donald Trump's deportation campaign has absorbed resources from other agencies that previously focused on combating labor and sexual exploitation. Since Trump's return to the White House, detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants has become the top priority for many agencies that formerly investigated other crimes. According to data obtained by the CATO Institute, 42,153 personnel including 28,390 from federal law enforcement agencies have been redirected to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Immanuel Ramsey, 27, pleaded no contest to dissuading a witness as part of the deal. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed human trafficking and pandering charges against him, court records show. The case is still pending against Ramsey's co-defendant, 27-year-old Tenzin Chosjor, of Pinole, who is out of custody and expected to appear in court next for a preliminary hearing in October. Ramsey was charged in 2020.
A former Riverside megachurch pastor has been accused of sexually abusing and trafficking children for years at a shelter he ran in Bucharest, according to lawsuits filed by two Romanian men in U.S. District Court in California. The complaints, filed Tuesday by 33-year-old Marian Barbu and 40-year-old Mihai-Constantin Petcu, said former Harvest Christian Fellowship pastor and missionary Paul Havsgaard severely abused them and dozens of other children at the shelter over eight years.
The judge, Mr Justice Sheldon, halted his removal after a decision came through during the court hearing that his claims to be a victim of trafficking required further investigation. The ruling is a significant blow to the government because many of those due to be removed under the scheme are potential victims of trafficking. Because they have only recently arrived in the UK they have not had an opportunity to have their trafficking claim fully investigated nor to obtain expert medical and psychological reports.
The UN issued an official warning on Thursday that transnational organised crime networks have infiltrated East Timor's Special Administrative Region of Oecusse Ambeno through foreign investment schemes. list of 4 itemsend of list Oecusse is an enclave of East Timor that lies entirely within Indonesian territory and is bordered by the Savu Sea. The government established a digital free trade zone there in December 2024, but a law enforcement raid in August points to emerging scam centre activity, according to the UNODC.
Southeast Asia's cyber scam industry not only threatens the well-being and financial security of Americans, but also subjects thousands of people to modern slavery, undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K Hurley said in a statement, adding that Americans last year lost more than $10bn from scam operations originating in the region. The department said it had issued sanctions against Tin Win, Saw Min Min Oo and Chit Linn Myaing Co for acting
Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos have in recent years become havens for transnational crime syndicates running scam centres such as KK Park, which use enslaved workers to run complex online fraud and scamming schemes that generate huge profits. For them, money is more important than human life Trafficking victim There have been some attempts to crack down on the centres and rescue the workers, who can be subjected to torture and trapped inside.
A vessel carrying more than 100 migrants is thought to have helped bring the number of small boat arrivals to 27,799 this year. Home Office figures show 325 migrants crossed the English Channel by small boat on Wednesday, in the same week that the number of arrivals since Labour won the election hit 50,000.
Attorney General Pam Bondi canceled her appearance at the CPAC International Summit Against Human Trafficking, attributing her absence to recovering from a torn cornea.
On June 1, police responded to a report of a stabbing at an East 12th Street hotel, leading to the discovery of two missing girls allegedly trafficked by Marquise Malik Webb.
