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For every human-trafficking charge laid in Edmonton, there are about nine other suspected cases, says the officer in charge of investigating what he describes as an “insidious” crime.

Edmonton Police Service human trafficking and exploitation unit Staff Sgt. Dale Johnson said that although local investigators are breaking cases – five people were charged with human trafficking and related offences in the first quarter of 2017 – those instances represent only a fraction of what’s happening.

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“We’re not fully aware of how deep the problem goes,” Johnson said during a recent interview at police headquarters.

As a crime, human trafficking is often misunderstood, Johnson said. It’s common for people to conflate it with human smuggling or prostitution.

Johnson said the easiest way to define the crime is a human being selling another human being, most often for either sexual purposes or labour exploitation.