A Quebec man who put his own girlfriend to work as a sex worker has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Thirty-seven-year-old Dominic Delisle was one of several men arrested two years ago after a traffic stop that turned up pure cocaine, pills, guns and cash.

But phone calls were also intercepted that proved Delisle was pimping out his own girlfriend, including the rates charged and how he was paying bills with the profits.

That led police to also charge Delisle with human-trafficking, holding a news conference to trumpet it as the first such case in this province.

But a factor from the start has been the support Delisle’s girlfriend continues to show for him, insisting he didn’t force her into the sex trade, and she was not a victim.

That’s reflected in her request for the no-contact provision to be waived so that the pair, who also have a child together, can stay in touch while he’s in prison.

Delisle’s history of drug trafficking, gun offences and pimping young girls dates back almost 20 years, mostly in his home province of Quebec.

In this case, he pleaded guilty to living off the profits of prostitution, as well as single drug and gun offences.

With time already punched at HMP, he still has about three years left to serve.