Halton Regional Police have arrested a Thornhill woman, Lia Mai Genest-Matte, following an extensive human trafficking investigation that unveiled a significant amount of cash, drugs, and even gold bars.
According to authorities, a female victim was allegedly trafficked for 18 months in the sex trade across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) for financial exploitation.
Genest-Matte, aged 32, was apprehended on Sept. 25, with search warrants being carried out at residences in Thornhill and Oakville, and a business in Mississauga. The search revealed around $25,095 in Canadian currency, $100 in U.S. dollars, as well as a substantial amount of bundled money.
In addition to the cash, police confiscated 56.1 grams of cocaine, 8.7 grams of purple fentanyl, and small quantities of Xanax, LSD, and MDMA. The search also yielded gold and silver bars, electronic devices, and various items of evidentiary significance.
Charges against Genest-Matte include two counts of procuring, two counts of benefiting from sexual services, two counts of advertising sexual services, possession for cocaine and fentanyl trafficking purposes, and money laundering.
Currently detained pending a bail hearing in Milton, Genest-Matte reportedly goes by several aliases such as “Badgirl Lili,” “Chanel Smith,” “White Bee,” and “Bianca White,” and is associated with the agency name “Don White’s Associates.” Her photo has been made public.
Police suspect there may be other victims and are encouraging individuals with information to step forward.