A multi-agency online undercover investigation, “Operation Not For Sale,” that targeted sex traffickers and sex buyers in the Bryan County area has led to the arrest of 17 individuals, per officials with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations.
According to a release, the GBI’s Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit (HEAT), Richmond Hills Police Department, Bryan County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia Department of Public Safety’s Georgia Motor Carrier Compliance Division coordinated the operation. Police, per officials, offered resources to 10 sex workers.
GBI officials stated,
“Operation Not for Sale” involved months of planning and the collaboration of four law enforcement agencies to combat human trafficking. The arrestees, ranging in age from 21 to 49, traveled from areas around Bryan County, GA with the intent to purchase sex or sell sex.
The goal of “Operation Not for Sale” was to draw in sex buyers for demand reduction and draw in sex workers to offer services. The objective was to identify and arrest pimps and human traffickers through this two-fold approach. The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) also assisted in providing resources to the victims.