ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — Counties across central North Carolina are coming together to put an end to sex trafficking.
All communities along the I-85 and I-40 corridor are a major concern for these types of crimes.
At the start of 2023, the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, the US Marshals Service and surrounding jurisdictions started cracking down on child predators. They have been checking in with registered sex offenders and stopping internet crimes against children.
“What we are finding is a lot of these girls are being drugged and being forced into human trafficking and providing prostitution,” said Sheriff Terry Johnson from Alamance County.
Johnson is urging parents to warn kids of the dangers of social media and to start checking their kid’s phones.
“When it comes to our children, one child can make hundreds of dollars in one day for one offender,” said Catrina Thompson from the U.S. Marshals Service.
It’s a money making industry that comes at the cost of young children’s lives.
“Seriously, we need to be more involved,” Thompson said.
Two operations this year led to several arrests. Operation Cupid’s Arrow started in February and led to three arrests for sexual exploitation of a minor, and two others were arrested for solicitation of prostitution.
After that, Operation Spartan Shield started and led to the arrest of 10 registered sex offenders for not updating their address.
There are more than 6,000 registered sex offenders in the 24 counties that make up the middle district of North Carolina, which is why teamwork is crucial.
“While working these operations, law enforcement made 14 additional arrests, three firearms were seized from convicted felons, and drugs were found,” Johnson said.
“We know without a doubt that we are only making a small dent … We are committed to continuing and expanding these efforts,” said Sheriff Clarence Birkhead from Durham County.
The sheriffs said these numbers are not necessarily the final outcome. They would not go into detail about when these operations are officially ending.
