JACKSON, Tenn. — State investigators said more than a dozen people were arrested on charges related to sex trafficking during a sting in Jackson.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said the multi-day sting in July resulted in arrests on charges including sexual exploitation of a minor. With help from the Jackson Police Department and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, agents also identified several young women who may be human trafficking victims.
One part of the investigation focused on prostitution and human trafficking, and another focused on people soliciting children over the Internet.
“The biggest win in this operation is the fact that we recovered missing and endangered juveniles who were being commercially exploited,” TBI Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Margie Quin said. “We are fine-tuning the way to maximize our efforts in identifying and helping these victims of trafficking and taking the predators off the streets.”
Gov. Bill Haslam in May signed a law giving TBI original jurisdiction over human trafficking investigations. The state Legislature also approved funding for four special agents who investigate human trafficking cases and train law enforcement statewide.
The TBI says it is conducting similar investigations in other parts of the state in an effort being called “Operation Someone Like Me.”
