In a room with a No. 2 on the wall is a bed, an extra large box of Durex condoms and multiple packages of baby wipes.

The small house on Merivale Rd. has four window air conditioners – one for each room – and an old boxspring lying out near the curb.

As police announced dozens of charges in a human-trafficking case Tuesday, they would not officially confirm this house was one of three addresses they had raided a day earlier, but they did acknowledge they had descended on a home on this block.

The charges were the culmination of a four-month-long police investigation revolving around what authorities allege were illicit massage parlours and an organized human-trafficking operation.

In total, 17 women were identified in the organized prostitution operation, police said. The women were new to Canada, according to authorities. Four of the victims were located during the search warrants issued Monday.

A 33-year-old Ottawa man now faces 76 human-trafficking charges.

Sgt. Jeff Leblanc with the human-trafficking unit said the three properties were among 20 massage parlours investigated in April.

“We thought (two of the properties) were shut down and within a few days we saw online advertisements for the same place with three to four different females working,” he said.

“The women we dealt with yesterday, they seem to be relieved to be out of that situation,” Leblanc said.

Police issued search warrants at a Charles Street address, a York Street address and a Merivale Road address. All three are residential locations, police said, and two were operating as massage parlours. Police said $14,000 was recovered.

A man who lives next to the Merivale Rd. address said he noticed a lot of vehicles coming in and out, usually in the evenings.

“All the blinds are closed, it’s all dark,” he said.

Zhao Liu, faces 76 charges, including trafficking in persons, procuring persons to provide sexual services for consideration, and advertising another person’s sexual services.

He appeared in court Tuesday.

A woman arrested with him was released without charges.

Ottawa’s human-trafficking unit has a sergeant and four investigators. They often work with the victims even after arrests have been made.

“Some may enter the situation with the thought they can make some quick cash and usually they don’t make the money they thought they would,” Leblanc said. “They end up staying in that kind of lifestyle and they feel trapped.”