Six men accused of seeking sexual services from minors, charged with human trafficking in Canada

Six men have been arrested and charged in a human trafficking investigation in the Durham Region of Ontario, Canada, police say. The Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) launched an operation called Project Firebird to tackle the purchase of sexual services from minors.

Investigators say officers identified multiple individuals who arranged meetings for sexual services with people they knew to be under the age of 18. As a result, the men were taken into custody and face a total of 19 charges related to luring and obtaining sexual services from minors.

The six men charged are:

Manish Singh, 22, from Brampton

Bruce Herrington, 50, from Ajax

Nickolas Chen, 24, from Markham

Sarang Kapdi, 33, from Pickering

Leodee Ayoyao, 27, from Oshawa

Christopher Smith, 39, from Oshawa

All six face charges, including luring a person for the purpose of obtaining sexual services under 18, obtaining sexual services from someone under 18, and invitation to sexual touching under 16.

After being charged, the men were released on an undertaking, meaning they must appear in court at future dates while the case proceeds.

Project Firebird is part of a bigger effort by the DRPS to address child exploitation and human trafficking in the region. Police say the initiative focuses on identifying and charging those who attempt to procure sexual services from minors, often through undercover ops and online investigations.