8 men in Laval charged in connection to underage prostitution
10 men in total arrested following investigation into disappearances from youth centres
Eight men accused of seeking sexual services from minors appeared in court in Laval on Wednesday to be formally charged.
They were among the 10 arrested on March 22 and 23 on suspicion of soliciting sexual services in exchange for money from people under 18 years of age.
The remaining two will appear in court in July, Const. Evelyne Boudreau of Laval polce said.
- Teenage girls in care targeted by street gangs, prostitution rings
- Laval runaways spur new funding to fight sexual exploitation of minors
If they are found guilty of the charges, the men could face at least six months in prison.
Laval police zeroed in on the suspects on the web, Boudreau said. No underage girls were used to lure the accused, she added.
The operation was launched after a string of disappearances of teenage girls from a youth centre in Laval —127 in 2015, according to Laval police— that were thought to be linked to prostitution rings.
The Quebec government appointed an auditor to make recommendations to address the problem, but this operation preceded this report, Boudreau noted.