SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (WZMQ) – A Sault Ste. Marie man facing 14 charges related to human trafficking, sexual assault, and drug charges is now facing five additional charges after more victims came forward.
The Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office said Cody McCoy is now also facing one count of first degree criminal sexual conduct (CSC), two counts of delivery of methamphetamine, one count of delivery of fentanyl, and one count of human trafficking.
The Tri-County Drug Enforcement Team (TRI-DENT) said McCoy, 30, is accused of supplying drugs to women to obtain sex through coercion. McCoy is a 4th Offense Habitual Offender.
McCoy was arraigned Monday, March 27 in 91st District Court. His bond was set at $250,000, and he is currently lodged in the Chippewa County Correctional Facility.
ORIGINAL STORY March 6, 2023:
A Sault Ste. Marie man has been charged with 13 crimes related to human trafficking, sexual assault, and drug charges.
Thirty-year-old Cody Mathieu McCoy, a resident of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, has been arrested and arraigned in the 91st District Court on March 1st for the following criminal counts:
- Human Trafficking, Forced Labor
- Human Trafficking, Forced Labor
- Human Trafficking, Forced Labor
- Possession of Methamphetamine
- Possession with intent to deliver Methamphetamine.
- Delivery of Methamphetamine
- Delivery of Methamphetamine
- Delivery of Methamphetamine
- Criminal Sexual Assault 3rd Degree
- Possession of Controlled Substance
- Possession of Controlled Substance
- Possession of Controlled Substance
- Possession of Controlled Substance
The arrest follows an investigation dating back to the Fall of 2022 by the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT), who believed McCoy had been taking advantage of young women struggling with addiction.
Specifically, TRIDENT says, McCoy was supplying drugs to women to obtain sex through coercion. Several search warrants have been conducted over the past few months resulting in the seizure of methamphetamine, prescription medications, and an overwhelming amount of video evidence spanning several years.
McCoy is a 4th Offense Habitual Offender.
The investigation is ongoing, and upon review of the tens of thousands of videos seized from McCoy, more victims are expected to be uncovered.
TRIDENT Detectives understand that addiction can increase a person’s vulnerability to being trafficked, can be initiated, and manipulated by the trafficker as a means of coercion and control, and can be used by the victim/survivor as a means of coping with the physical and psychological traumas of being trafficked both during captivity and after exiting the trafficking situation.
In a press release on the arrest, the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office said they would like to recognize the courage of the victims that have already come forward in this case and values their lived-experience in describing the torment of drug-based coercion. Although addiction is scientifically understood as a medical condition and not a moral weakness, the societal stigma surrounding both the condition and the sufferer is pervasive.
The courage and resilience of victims and survivors cannot be overstated. If you are a person fighting addiction and has been forced to have sex to get drugs or to pay off a drug debt, we want to talk to you. You are not the criminal, you have a voice, and we will listen.
There are four ways to contact us:
- Call or Text the UPHTTF 24/7 confidential helpline (906) 299-9243
- Email unite@upht123.org (UPHTTF –Upper Peninsula Human Trafficking Taskforce)
- Submit a Tip on the free Chippewa County Sheriff’s App.
- If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
The Trident Team would like to thank UP Human Trafficking Task Force and Operation Underground Railroad for providing investigative and financial assists.
