19-year-old Vancouver man arrested after human trafficking investigation

SURREY — RCMP in Surrey have announced they have arrested a 19-year-old man from Vancouver after a months long human trafficking investigation that started with a missing 16-year-old girl.

Raimon Geday of Vancouver was arrested earlier this month after the RCMP Serious Crime Unit along with assistance from the Vancouver Police Department discovered a teenaged girl who went missing on January 6 was allegedly being held in Vancouver, according to a media release.

Police located the 16-year-old girl and she was safely recovered. The suspect in the investigation was not present at the time of the girl’s rescue, police say.

Geday is facing:

• Two counts of unlawfully recruiting, transporting, harboring and exploiting an individual under the age of 18
• One count of unlawfully receiving financial benefit obtained by the commission of an offence
• One count of knowingly advertising an offer to provide sexual services
• One count of production of child pornography
• One count of possession of child pornography
• Two counts of possession of a controlled substance  
• Six counts relating to firearm possession offences

Police say no other information will be released since the matter is now before the courts.

"Ensuring vulnerable victims are protected from those who seek to exploit them is of the utmost importance to police," said Supt. Elija Rain in the release.

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