Sting Nets 11 Alleged Sex Buyers in Matteson

MATTESON, IL - A yearly national sex trafficking sting that’s centered around the three weeks leading up to Super Bowl Sunday netter more than 700 arrests, including 11 alleged johns who were arrested in south suburban Matteson.

Matteson police said they did not have information on the 11 alleged sex buyers arrested in an inquiry made Wednesday.

The National Johns Suppression Initiative ran from Jan. 18 through Feb. 5 and involved nearly 30 law enforcement agencies across the country from 15 states, according to a news release from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. In all, 752 arrests were made (723 sex buyers and 29 pimps or sex traffickers).

Locally, 101 sex buyers were arrested in Cook County, including the 11 charged in Matteson. Six were charged by the Lansing Police Department with the assistance of the Sheriff’s Office, which also worked with police in Matteson.

Also in Illinois, five alleged sex buyers were taken into custody by the police department in north suburban Arlington Heights and two were charged by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.