Two of the four people from Vancouver Island who were charged with human trafficking in Saskatchewan were granted bail at a hearing on Tuesday.
According to Swift Current Online, 36-year-old Shermineh Sheri Ziaee and 23-year-old Shawn Alexander Kelly were both granted bail terms while twin brothers Seyed Kourosh Miralinaghi and Seyed Kamran Miralinaghi were denied bail.
See also: Four Vancouver Island residents arrested for human trafficking in Saskatchewan
Terms for Ziaee included a $1,000 deposit along with several conditions, while Kelly required no monetary deposit.
Their terms include:
- abstaining from drugs or alcohol;
- no contact with anyone under the age of 18 under unless under approved circumstances;
- no contact with complainants, or co-accused;
- staying away from areas where children may be;
- stay within 150 kilometres of his residence;
- follow a curfew;
- and contact a probation officer following release
The other two accused remain in custody, and all four will appear in court again on March 11th.
Background
Two Victoria residents, Ziaee and Kelly, and two Nanaimo residents, the Miralinaghi brothers, were arrested near Swift Current, Saskatchewan on January 30th, 2020.
According to an RCMP release, an off-duty police officer spotted three vehicles speeding in unison along Highway 1 going towards Swift Current.
As police pulled them over and were in the process of issuing tickets for speeding at 153 km/h, they noticed something unusual.
Officers became suspicious of the relationship between the drivers and two girls under the age of 18 in the back seats of the vehicles, neither of whom had any identification.
Observing signs of human trafficking, the officers arrested the three men and one woman for related charges.
They each face charges including transport of a person under the age of 18 for the purpose of exploiting them, procuring a person to offer or provide sexual services, harbouring a person who offers or provides sexual services for consideration, or exercised control or movement of that person, and knowingly advertising an offer to provide sexual services.
Ziaee also faces one charge of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
Police say the two underage girls are from BC and not related to those arrested.
