Police agencies in Waterloo Region, Brantford, Guelph, Stratford and Woodstock were among the 40 that took part in an Ontario-wide human trafficking sweep earlier this month.
Provincial police announced Thursday that 47 people face a total of 135 connections in connection with the investigation, which is the fourth phase of Operation Northern Spotlight.
Many of those charges relate to human trafficking, forcible confinement, child pornography offences and sexual assaults.
Twenty people believed to be working in the sex trade against their will – most of whom are under the age of 19 – were brought to safety thanks to the investigation, police said.
Stratford Police say their contribution involved the arresting one man for obstructing justice.
The man also had multiple warrants out for his arrest, police said.
Waterloo Regional Police say their role was to assist police in Stratford and Guelph in making arrests.
The investigation also involved the FBI, RCMP and a number of local police services from other parts of Canada.
