Early this morning at approximately 2:15 a.m. local time, Michigan State Police pulled over a speeding driver who turned out to be a victim of sex trafficking.
According to police, when they pulled the driver over, she gave troopers a false name and did not have any identification. In a statement, police said that after further investigation, they identified the driver as a 15-year-old missing person from Jackson County, Michigan.
Police said she was driving a black Dodge Charger on a road near the Detroit border.
The teenager was reported missing on September 25 and was considered “missing/runaway” according to police. While police were driving the girl to the station to be picked up by family, she told them she was a victim of sex trafficking and believed she may be pregnant.
Authorities then brought the 15-year-old girl to a local hospital to undergo a medical examination.
“Troopers were able to obtain several more details and believe she was trafficked in the city of Detroit,” police said in a statement on Twitter. “Detectives from the Metro North Post are continuing to investigate.”
After she is examined by medical professionals, she will be returned home to her family. Police have not yet located her traffickers but are still investigating.
In 2020, the Department of Homeland Security opened 947 cases related to human trafficking. Of those, the Department of Justice opened formally opened 663 investigations. Approximately 619 of those investigations involved “predominately sex trafficking.”
The DOJ had a total of 210 federal human trafficking prosecutions in 2020 and charged 337 defendants. Although the numbers seem high, there were significant decreases in 2020 compared to 2019.
In October, Newsweek reported on a human trafficking sting in Florida that resulted in the arrest of 102 people.
The sting operation, dubbed “Operation No Tricks No Treats,” began on October 20 and involved a six-day undercover operation. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, they utilized online advertisements to “arrange meetings between undercover detectives and suspects.”
“The primary purpose for these operations is to identify victims of human trafficking and those who prey on the victims,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. “As well as the deviant child predators who stalk children online.”
During the operation, police issued 29 felonies and 143 midemeanors. Among the arrests were two child predators. Police were also able to rescue a 17-year-old and two women in their 20’s who they believed were victims of human trafficking, WFLA reported.
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Original Article: Police Pull Over Speeding Car, Realize Driver Is Sex Trafficking Victim
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