Following a TBI (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation) online sex trafficking sting last spring where 32 were arrested, including two pastors, another 41 arrests were made this past week. The recent arrest included a high school teacher, a Vandy football player, and a state IT specialist. WKRN in Nashville reports:
The operation, dubbed “Operation Someone Like Me,” was led by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation with help from other law enforcement agencies.
Over three days, undercover agents posted ads on Backpage.com. A total of 485 men responded to those ads, some of which were undercover agents posing as a juvenile girl.
Of the 41 arrested, 34 were men who authorities said were responding to ads in an effort to buy sex from a minor. Six women and one juvenile were also charged.
Click here for a full list of those arrested.
The report adds that half of the 485 respondents knew the sex would be with a minor.
The TBI Director Mark Gwyn outwardly stated the problem is demand-driven. Without the demand for sex with minors, there would be no supply. Gwyn added that these men are paying for sex with children. “It’s wrong, it’s illegal and we will pursue these operations in small towns and big cities for as long as it takes.”
Tennessee state Senator Bill Ketron:
“Let me send a message to all you men who enjoy this type of lifestyle. Go home and do yourself, okay? Quit ruining the lives of our young women and young girls in this state. Otherwise, we’re coming after you. I will do everything within my power to muster our resources as a state to help [the TBI] take you down and ruin your life,”
Here is a video that tells more about Operation Someone Like Me.
Victims of human sex trafficking are often right in front of us at truck stops, massage parlors, hotels, salons … they are held captive through coercion, force and threats. There are an estimated 20.9 million victims of human slavery, with 1.5 million in North America. Sex trafficking is a common and and highly lucrative crime. An estimated $150 billion is made by human traffickers, just under the number one crime of drug trafficking.
TED talk speaker Tony Talbott makes an incredibly disturbing summation about sex trafficking:
"It's all about the money. Human trafficking is insanely profitable. If you really think about it; You can sell a kilo of Heroin once; You can sell a 13-year-old girl 20 times a night, 365 days a year.”