Oakland County man charged with trafficking 2 women, using drugs to keep them awake
(CBS DETROIT) — A Waterford man is facing seven felony charges in connection with trafficking two women out of Metro Detroit hotels and motels, officials said.
Quincy Lamar Bland, 43, is charged with two counts of engaging in a human trafficking enterprise resulting in injury/commercial sexual activity, two counts of transporting a person for purposes of prostitution, two counts of accepting earnings from prostitution, and one count of delivery or manufacture of less than 50 grams of a controlled substance. Bland is also facing two misdemeanor counts of assault or assault and battery.
According to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, Bland controlled the women through violence or threats of violence and gave them crack to keep them awake and working for sometimes days at a time. The women were reportedly trafficked out of hotels and motels in Waterford and other Metro Detroit communities.
Bland was arrested by Waterford police on Nov. 26. During the arrest, police found a bag of drugs containing meth, crack, and heroin on Bland. Police also found multiple cellphones, two scales and a large amount of cash during a search of Bland's bedroom.
"Human traffickers operate in the shadows, exploiting vulnerable victims, and controlling them through multiple means, including making and keeping them dependent on drugs, and on violence and threats of violence. The cases we are seeing now are only the tip of the iceberg – human trafficking is a massive problem that requires a massive response," said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald in a statement. "I commend the agencies that took advantage of the recent training, and especially the work of the law enforcement agencies in these recent cases, along with my office's Trafficking Unit. There is so much work to be done, and my office will continue to work with police to prevent and fight human trafficking throughout Michigan."
Bland was arraigned on Nov. 27 and issued a $100,000 bond. He's due back in court for a probable cause conference on Dec. 10.
It's the second major human trafficking case out of Oakland County in the last month. On Nov. 22, 41-year-old Prenentice Orr, a resident of Wyoming, Michigan, was charged with three felonies after a victim said she was being trafficked out of Southfield.
