Toronto, July 31: Winnipeg police and RCMP are watching a U.S. website closely for local ties after a major prostitution bust south of the border led to 150 arrests.

On Monday, U.S. authorities arrested 150 alleged pimps accused of selling sex with teens online using the website Backpage.com.

An FBI investigation into the site alleged that 105 young people were being sold for sex.

A Winnipeg woman who uses Backpage.com to solicit clients takes a call on Tuesday.(Karen Pauls/CBC)

The website is active in Canada, and a number of Winnipeggers use the site.

Winnipeg police said they’re watching the site closely, and as recently as last month charged a man with pimping out two 19-year-old women on the site. Last year, another man was charged with selling sex with underage teens on the website.

“We have seen Backpage.com utilized across the country where people’s sexual services are being offered in various cities,” said Cpl. Nilu Singh, with the RCMP’s Human Trafficking National Co-ordination Centre.