COLUMBUS – A two-day crackdown on human trafficking in central Ohio netted nearly 100 arrests and rescued more than 50 victims.
More than 20 law enforcement agencies and other organizations carried out Operation 614, targeting people accused of having sex with minors and recovering the victims of human trafficking, at hotels in the Columbus area Wednesday and Thursday.
The operation was coordinated the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission within the office of attorney general Dave Yost.
“I am so proud of our law enforcement partners, who with their boots on the ground, made this operation a success. We all look forward to that day when no person is bought or sold for sex in Ohio,” Yost said.
A dozen local law enforcement agencies in Franklin and Pickaway counties, as well as the FBI, carried out the sweep in Columbus and surrounding suburbs, identifying 53 victims, who were handed over to social service agencies, and arresting 93 suspects, according to a release from Yost’s office.
The multi-agency Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force and police from Columbus, Dublin, New Albany and Westerville identified victims of human trafficking who were linked with advocates and social services provided by the Salvation Army.
“Human trafficking and prostitution are crimes that impact individuals but also the community as a whole. We are committed to doing everything possible to rescue the victims in these cases and provide resources for their recovery,” said Westerville Division of Police Chief Charles Chandler.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office’s Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested individuals suspected of seeking to engage in sexual activity with minors.
Police from Columbus, Grove City, Hilliard and Reynoldsburg targeted suspects seeking to purchase sex, who were charged with engaging in prostitution, a misdemeanor of the first degree, under a law that took effect on Monday, under which an offender will be required to attend an education or treatment program.
“We want to drive this illegal activity out of Hilliard, and it’s individuals who solicit prostitution online creating the demand,” said Chief Robert Fisher of the Hilliard Division of Police.
Those arrested included a registered sex offender on parole.