National Sex Trafficking Sting Recovers Three Victims In North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, NC -- A joint operation between FBI agents, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police and other North Carolina law enforcement aimed at curbing sex trafficking led to 11 arrests and the recovery of three young victims last week in the state, according to reports.

The effort was part of a larger national “Operation Cross Country,” which is an annual sting aimed at raising public awareness and recovering underage prostitution victims. Last week’s four-day operation conducted simultaneously throughout the U.S. led to 120 arrests and the recovery of 84 underage sexually exploited victims, according to the federal law enforcement agency.

In North Carolina, the coordinated sting occurred in Charlotte, Raleigh, Fayetteville and Lumberton, and the three young victims recovered were offered food, clothing, shelter and counseling, WSOC reported.

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“We at the FBI have no greater mission than to protect our nation’s children from harm,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the number of traffickers arrested—and the number of children recovered—reinforces why we need to continue to do this important work.”

The nationwide sting included more than 500 law enforcement agencies, 55 FBI field offices and 78 Child Exploitation Task Forces led by the FBI.

In Colorado, for example, the FBI Denver’s Rocky Mountain Innocence Lost Task Force recovered a 3-month-old baby girl and her 5 year-old sister after an attempt was made to sell them for sex to an undercover officer for $600.

Last year, CMPD updated department policies to make it easier for officers to report suspicion of human trafficking. The taskforce investigates each case, and “focus is on offering help to victims, most of whom initially deny they are being trafficked,” CMPD said.

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