TBI human trafficking operation arrests nine in West Tennessee, six from Jackson
Nine men, including six in Jackson, have been arrested and booked into the Madison County Jail on charges of trafficking for a commercial sex act.
The felony arrests come as a result of a multi-agency, two-day, undercover investigation that began on Aug. 29 and was "aimed at addressing human trafficking in the Jackson area," according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Officers placed multiple decoy advertisements on websites known to be used for prostitution and commercial sex. The focus of the effort was to identify those seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors. The ages of those arrested range from 21 to 53 years old.
With the exception of one who was given a $5,000 bond, all the individuals have a $25,000 bond.
An adjacent focus of the operation aimed to identify victims of human trafficking, of which the operation yielded encounters with 12 individuals. The agency noted that despite some identified victims having warrants that led to arrests, all were provided with assistance through a human trafficking victim service organization.
TBI's Human Trafficking Unit, the Tennessee Human Trafficking Task Force, the 26th and the 28th Judicial Drug Task Forces, and the Jackson Police Department worked collaboratively to execute the operation.
More: See something, say something: Red Sand Project raises human trafficking awareness
More: Human Trafficking Awareness Week kicks off, educating families, community
Human trafficking in Tennessee
During a Human Trafficking Awareness program at Jackson's Westwood Community Center in July, and as part of the Red Sand Project, attendees poured red sand into the asphalt cracks to symbolize human trafficking victims who have fallen through the cracks.
A TBI special agent with the Human Trafficking Unit was the keynote speaker at the event.
The agent, whose identity is kept anonymous to maintain the integrity of ongoing undercover investigations, shared that by June 30, TBI's state hotline had received 663 tips.
Despite an individual's willingness to participate in prostitution consensually, Tennessee law distinguishes them as a trafficking victim if they are a minor, a key distinction between trafficking and prostitution.
"If that person that is involved is under the age of 18 and is having sex for money or a tangible good with value, they are a human trafficking victim, and they will never be in trouble with us [TBI]," the agent said.
The number of tips called into the state human trafficking hotline has quintupled since 2016, according to TBI's 2023 Human Trafficking Statistical Report.
The agency received 245 calls and tips in 2016. Steadily increasing in each subsequent year, calls and tips in 2023 totaled 1,375, the majority of which involved minor sex trafficking.
356 victims were between ages 13-17
59 victims were between ages seven to 12
11 victims were between ages zero to six
The agency reports that every two minutes, a child is bought or sold for sex, with the average age being 13 years old.
If you see something, say something, and call the 24/7 Tennessee Human Trafficking Hotline at 1 (855)-558-6484.
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Nine men arrested, TBI human trafficking operation in West Tennessee
