While they didn’t appear in court themselves on Wednesday morning for their first appearance, four Barrie residents are facing more than 100 charges relating to a labour human trafficking investigation.
Facing 27 charges each including trafficking persons, employing a foreign national without authorization, possession of property obtained by crime and participating in organized crime are Patricia Zuniga Rojas, 54, Kevin Kielty, 51, Patricia (Patty) Camacho Zuniga, 24 and Ashley Camacho Zuniga, 19.
Kielty will be represented by Toronto lawyer Bruce Daley. The other three accuseds will be represented by Toronto lawyer Peter Thorning.
An agent for both lawyers, Torrie Siarkas, appeared in court on Wednesday morning. At this point in the case, the Crown indicated in court they are not prepared yet to elect how to proceed on the charges, nor have they provided the defence with any initial disclosure.
“It’s a very large file,” said the attending Crown attorney.
On Feb. 5, members of the Barrie Police Service, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) executed a number of search warrants in Barrie and Wasaga Beach related to the labour human-trafficking investigation. As a result, 43 victims of labour-related human trafficking were safely relocated.
The alleged traffickers controlled wages and charged the workers fees for accommodations and transportation.
On May 23, arrests were finally made in the case. According to the Ontario Provincial Police, the charges relate to the accuseds’ involvement with RTL Services of Barrie – a company alleged to have supplied foreign nationals as forced labour to a number of local unsuspecting businesses since 2015.
The accuseds will be back in court on July 24, at which time the Crown has indicated they will have initial disclosure prepared.
