BURST
An Alberta woman who police say was kidnapped and trafficked for sex escaped from a Surrey apartment, according to a B.C. civil forfeiture case.
The province this week filed a case seeking forfeiture of $5,625 in cash seized from the 35th floor of an apartment in the Whalley neighbourhood of Surrey.
The Surrey Police Service raided the apartment in March and arrested Gabriel Angel Osorio-Interiano and an unnamed number of associates after the alleged kidnap victim fled the residence and reported what had happened.
“The victim had been kidnapped from Alberta, provided cocaine, locked inside of the residence, and was told to attend a date with a client,” says the forfeiture claim filed on Aug. 26.
Between March 19 and March 20, 2025, the defendant and his associates engaged in forcible confinement, human trafficking and drug trafficking, according to the claim.
Osorio-Interiano has not responded to the forfeiture claim and the allegations have not been proven in court.
A review of online B.C. court records show no criminal charges against Osorio-Interiano for the alleged activities.
Civil forfeiture is tested at a lower threshold than criminal prosecutions, a “balance of probabilities” rather than “beyond a reasonable doubt”.
The forfeiture claim says that the victim was “paid by the client at the end of the date” and that Osorio-Interiano and his associates took a portion of the proceeds paid to the victim.
When Surrey police raided the apartment on March 20, they found cash that included $2,125 in a wallet belonging to Osorio-Interiano, $3,500 in a bedroom drawer, and $3,100 in a wallet of an associate who is not part of this forfeiture claim.
A portion of the money was contaminated with drug residue.
According to the forfeiture claim, police also found fake identification for Osorio-Interiano, drug paraphernalia including a digital scale with drug residue, packaging material, and items belonging to the victim, including a journal listing dates, payments and rates for escort services.
Unlawful activity cited by the director of civil forfeiture includes possession for the purpose of drug trafficking, forcible confinement, human trafficking, receiving a benefit from sexual services, facilitating sexual services, possession of the proceeds of crime, money laundering, and failure to declare taxable income.
Surrey Police Service spokesman Ian MacDonald said Friday the continuing investigation is complex and multi-jurisdictional. “But we anticipate being in a position to recommend charges in the near future,” he said.
“Most importantly, we were able to identify the accused, and ensure the victim’s safety,” said MacDonald.
If and when charges are recommended, the B.C. Prosecution Service determines whether to bring the case to trial.
According to reporting by Postmedia in 2024 , despite a steady increase in human trafficking cases reported to police, only a fraction of suspects will face charges.
Nationally, 40 per cent of police-reported trafficking cases resulted in charges in 2022, according to Statistics Canada.
In B.C., that number was even lower.
Only three of B.C.’s 29 human trafficking cases in 2022 led to charges, the lowest rate since 2010, when no human trafficking cases resulted in charges.
Police forces in Ontario and Quebec have dedicated human trafficking units, something that the RCMP in B.C. only recently implemented.
The B.C. RCMP and the provincial government announced a new 12-member human trafficking unit this summer.
In July, Chief Supt. Elija Rain, the head of the B.C. RCMP’s major crime section, said human trafficking is “grossly under-reported” but he expects to see more cases after the establishment of the specialized policing unit to combat trafficking of vulnerable victims.
with Postmedia files