By: Ashley Lavallee-Koenig and Sheldon Spackman
Two Edmonton residents charged in relation to a human trafficking investigation in Fox Creek and Calmar have been ordered to stand trial.
Yeon Soo Lee, 56, and Joo Hyup Lee, 28, were ordered to stand trial during an Aug. 21 court appearance. Trial dates have yet to be set.
Alberta RCMP and the Alberta Employment Standards Office first received a report of possible human trafficking at a Fox Creek motel and Calmar gas station in the summer of 2024. The complaint was then escalated to the Alberta RCMP Serious Crimes Branch, which utilized multiple partner agencies to assist with the investigation.
The investigation reportedly uncovered multiple illegal business practices involving several immigrant workers. RCMP say these included, but were not limited to:
- Forcing employees to work 80 to 90 hour weeks without proper compensation
- Submitting falsified work schedules
- Exploitative payment practices
- Overcharging rent and expenses
- Improper Labour Market Impact Assessment practices
- Harassment
On June 25, 2025, Alberta RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) executed search warrants at two Edmonton residences, seizing cash, bank and business records, immigration agreements and other offence-related materials.
As a result, two individuals were arrested.
Yeon Soo Lee was originally charged with:
- Trafficking in persons (x4)
- Material benefits from trafficking (x4)
- Criminal harassment
Joo Hyup Lee was originally charged with:
- Trafficking in persons
- Material benefits from trafficking
Inspector Breanne Brown, Alberta RCMP Serious Crimes Branch, explains human trafficking as “the act of recruiting, transporting, holding individuals by means of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of sexual or labour exploitation.”
“In this case, the RCMP determined that the suspects took action to harbour and recruit foreign workers by using threats, abuse of power, fraud and deception, all for the purpose of exploiting the labour of these workers,” Brown continues. “The Alberta RCMP takes these offences seriously and ask the public to keep an eye out for these individuals who, by the nature of their status and situation, are vulnerable to their oppressors.”
The RCMP say temporary foreign workers or persons on visitor visas can make for vulnerable targets in labour trafficking as they are often desperate and looking for opportunities to leave their home country.
These individuals are often recruited under false pretenses, promising an opportunity for permanent residency or citizenship in Canada, according to Alberta RCMP. Once recruited, they are transported and harboured by predatory employers who might withhold their identification and control their finances and movements through force, fraud, or coercion. Employees who then express concerns can face threats of penalties, or deportation, preventing them from coming to police.
RCMP say the investigation leading up to the arrests was done in coordination with the Alberta Employment Standards Office. The office investigated multiple businesses owned and operated by the two accused and recovered more than $160,000 in unpaid employee earnings and unauthorized deductions from those earnings.
The Ministry of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) branch also conducted inspections of these businesses, in relation to OHS law compliance. These inspections, and their follow-ups, resulted in a $60,000 administrative penalty for 682175 Alberta Ltd., operating as Grizzly Motor Hotel, for repeated non-compliance. A $10,000 administrative penalty was also issued to Yeon Soo Lee for hindering and interfering with an OHS officer, the Employment Standards Office reports.
The partner agencies that contributed to this investigation include:
- Alberta Employment Standards Office
- Occupational Health and Safety
- Alberta Occupational Health and Safety
- Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
- ALERT CFSEU Money Laundering Asset Forfeiture Team (MLAFT)
- FINTRAC
- Service Canada
Action Coalition on Human Trafficking (ACT) Alberta is also assisting by supporting survivors of the investigation.
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