A Saskatchewan man is facing sex trafficking, gun and drug charges after he allegedly held two women against their will in a Winnipeg home.
Police went to a home in the western part of the city to check on the well-being of the woman on Sept. 16. Both victims were transported to safety.
Officers seized a large number of illegal drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine and psilocybin mushrooms, as well as Xanax pills, fentanyl and marijuana. The Winnipeg Police Service estimated the drugs have a total estimated street value of $86,000.
Police also seized a loaded, sawed-off .22-calibre rifle, a 9-mm Glock handgun, various ammunition and a canister of bear spray.
The WPS said its counter-exploitation unit learned the suspect met one of the victims through a dating app while residing in a neighbouring province and manipulated her into believing they were involved in a romantic relationship.
The victim and another woman were later transported to Manitoba, where the suspect allegedly arranged for both victims to work as escorts to make him money. The victims were forced to create and post social-media ads offering sexual services, police said, and the man took their identification and used electronic devices to track their movements.
Randy Norman Hamilton, 46, was arrested Sept. 18 and is facing a sexual assault charge, four charges related to sex trafficking, six gun charges and five drug charges. He was detained in custody.
Court records show Hamilton has a lengthy criminal history, including dozens of convictions for weapon, drug and property offences, and for crimes of violence.
He was sentenced to 56 months in prison in 2020 after pleading guilty in a Saskatchewan court to possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime.
Hamilton pleaded guilty to fraud and property offences in Winnipeg in September 2017 and was sentenced to two years in prison.
Court records show his recent convictions are tied to an addiction to methamphetamine.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca