25 Valley Men Nabbed In Child Sex-Trafficking Sting Operation

PHOENIX, AZ — Twenty-five people in the Valley have been arrested on child sex-trafficking charges in a multi-agency sting operation called Operation Summer Shield, police said Monday.

The arrests came after an undercover operation by the Tempe Police Department, the Mesa Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.

The men arrested ranged in age from 19 to 63 years old, Tempe police said. They face charges that include child sex trafficking, sexual abuse, luring of a minor for sexual exploitation, attempted sex conduct with a minor, furnishing harmful materials to a minor and possession of dangerous drugs.

The agencies work together every year “to conduct operations of this type in a continuous effort to reduce the demand that fuels child and human sex trafficking from our communities,” Tempe police spokesman Greg Bacon told the Caller Times.

Undercover officers and detectives placed ads on various websites and apps used by people interested in illegal sex acts with children, according to an AZFamily.com report.

“The message I would say to parents is be very, very aware of the applications, the social media, the websites that children are using,” Bacon told news station KTAR. “Set parental controls as appropriate, and have the difficult conversations with your children about these topics to keep them safe from potential predators.”

The suspects are named and pictured on a Tempe Police Department News release.