Additional charges laid in connection to ‘Project Shamrock’

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Kingston Police have laid an additional 19 charges in an ongoing investigation.

Police are seeking additional victims.

In January 2022, the joint investigation (Project Shamrock) began when the Kingston Police Service (KPS) were made aware of an individual luring women and girls through social media platforms for the purpose of exploitation. A thorough investigation was conducted by the Provincial Human Trafficking Intelligence-led Joint Forces Strategy (IJFS) from the OPP Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, KPS, Ottawa Police Service, Peterborough Police Service and the OPP Digital Forensics.

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Initially, ten victims were identified and provided with aid through a victim services agency and are now in a place of safety. The accused was arrested on April 6, 2022, and, due to continued police investigation and increased public awareness from a previous media release, additional victims were identified which resulted in further charges being laid. The investigation was supported by Kingston Victim Services and the OPP IJFS Victim Specialist of the OPP Victim-Centred Approach Team.

As part of this ongoing investigation, Michael Mark Haaima, a 38-year-old male resident of Kingston, was charged with 95 offences as follows:

The accused is being held in custody. Police want to hear from any other potential victims and are urging anyone with any additional information to contact the OPP non-emergency number at 1-888-310-1122 or their local police. If you or someone you know may be a victim of these crimes, call 9-1-1 immediately.

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