Ont. man testifies being caught up in sex trafficking ring because of love of Pokémon cards

The Crown called a reluctant witness to the stand to testify against his co-accused, more than a month after pleading guilty to trafficking women in the sex trade in Innisfil.

Edgar Martinez, 39, testified against the four men and women on trial accused of providing drugs and exploited vulnerable women sell their bodies over several months at homes and hotels throughout the region.

• Officers testify drugs, several women found in homes in Innisfil sex trafficking trial

Tyrone Dias, Jashyna Singh, Oneil Hopkinson, and Joseph Carvalho are accused of several sex trafficking charges after being arrested as part of the South Simcoe police-led Project Chameleon investigation into human trafficking in 2023 that led to the arrests of at least seven men and women who ran online ads for sexual services.

• Sex trafficking trial begins for group accused of exploiting women in Innisfil

The court has heard Joseph Carvalho set up security cameras at the home and drove women to and from clients. Oneil Hopkinson is also accused of sexually assaulting one of the complainants in the case. Dias and Singh, witnesses have testified ran the operation, controlled the women and collected their earnings.

• 4th person arrested in human trafficking investigation in Innisfil

Martinez, breathing heavily and sighing repeatedly, responded to questions from the Crown with his head down, saying “I don’t know,” and “I can’t really remember.” He blamed his lapses in memory on the passage of time, weeks after admitting to the human trafficking and sexual assault.

Martinez admitted to providing security for the sex trafficking operation, watching over the women at the homes and hotel rooms. He said he was being paid $100 a day or accepting Pokémon cards from Dias, calling his actions “a labour of love” when explaining why he often did not accept money from Dias for his involvement in the operation.

“The girls, they liked doing drugs, at the time,” Martinez testified. He told the court the women, who were addicted to drugs and working out of the home and hotel rooms he watched over were provided the drugs by Dias, whom he said he loved and referred to as his cousin.

Martinez said the women were visited by clients at the Yonge Street Innisfil home or dropped off at other locations to provide sexual services in the Barrie area. He said his role was to ensure he was close by should problems arise with customers.

Martinez testified he initially hung out at the homes with his co-accused because of his passion for Pokémon cards. He said being around the home surrounded by sex workers became “normal” after a while. Martinez admitted Dias booked hotel rooms for the women to provide sexual services and paid for a phone used to post the ads.

“They’d go to the hotels and do whatever they had to do and then they’d give the money to Tyrone,” he told police. Martinez said he never handled money taken from clients.

In a video played for the court, Martinez told police the women often earned $2,000 to $3,000 a night and Dias kept about half.

Martinez has been in custody since his surety pulled his bail and awaits sentencing in separate proceedings.

Scheduled for two more weeks, the trial is expected to continue Friday with further Crown witness testimony.