PHOENIX — Phoenix police say a multi-agency operation led to numerous arrests and victim recoveries involving prostitution and possible human trafficking earlier this month.
The operation took place between Jan. 30 and Feb. 11, which was a time period with numerous large events like the Super Bowl, Waste Management Phoenix Open, Barrett-Jackson auction and more.
“These events draw large crowds of people, many of them from outside of the state, and large events can create a bigger market for human trafficking and prostitution related activities,” police said in a news release.
Officials say 48 felony arrests and 300 misdemeanor arrests were made, including 120 people who were sex buyers.
Five juveniles and one adult victim were recovered, along with seven firearms.
Police said they were targeting people attempting to pay for sex with minors, online predators, street prostitution interdiction, and sex buyer apprehension.
“The priority of these operations was to identify and recover juveniles or adult victims of human trafficking as it relates to fraud, force or coercion as well as to provide victim outreach,” police said.
Two dozen local and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as outreach groups, were involved in the operation.
