Man sentenced in Vancouver human trafficking case

A 26-year-old man has been sentenced to six years after he was convicted of trafficking an underaged girl, Vancouver police say.

According to police, Meaz Nour-Eldin, Elkan Vyizigiro, and a third person, who was a minor at the time, were charged with trafficking a person under the age of 18 years and receiving a material benefit resulting from trafficking in a person under 18.

The case was launched in 2019, after the VPD “[became] aware underage girls were recruited and trafficked for several months.”

“After becoming aware of the information in 2019, the Vancouver Police Counter Exploitation Unit launched an investigation surrounding the human trafficking operation,” police previously said.

Nour-Eldin was sentenced on Dec. 21, 2023 for one count of trafficking a person under the age of 18 years. Court documents show when he was 21, he convinced a 15-year-old girl to become heavily involved in sex work, controlling her movements, physically mistreating her, and trafficking her in other provinces as well.

Meanwhile, police note the young offender was sentenced to one year probation after they pleaded guilty on March 23, 2023.

Vyizigiro was convicted alongside Nour-Eldin. He is in custody and awaiting sentencing, the VPD says.