NEWNAN, Ga. — Editor's note: The video above is the story of a woman who describes how she was trafficked in Atlanta at just age 15.
Another large-scale human trafficking sting in metro Atlanta has landed 30 suspects behind bars.
More than two dozen men were arrested during a human trafficking operation between May 31 and June 1 at a local hotel in Newnan.
Two survivors were rescued during the two day operation.
"The operation focused on locating victims of human trafficking in addition to making arrests on 'sex buyers' as that is the root of the problem," Investigator Jessica Noles with Coweta County Sheriff's Office explained.
The Coweta County Sheriff's Office Crime Suppression Unit was assisted by various agencies during the operation.
One female who was brought to the hotel to be sold for sex was discovered to be from Florida. Noles said they were able to identify her alleged pimp and he was arrested in the hotel parking lot.
"The victim, along with the pimp, are from Florida," Noles said. "At this point, she is the only female we have connected him to, but we are working the case to ensure there are no other females connected to him."
Through their investigation, Noles explained they learned this survivor had been bought and sold for sex by this individual which led to them to be able to charge the person with human trafficking.
Noles said they made a total of 30 arrests. She broke down the arrests as the following:
- Human Trafficking (1)
- Pandering "Sex Buyers" (16)
- Prostitution (8)
- Pimping (3)
- Outstanding Warrants (2)
Noles said a huge problem is the "sex buyers." During the operation, they nabbed 16 men who the sheriff's office allege showed up to buy a female for sex.
"Our biggest goal during this operation was to shift the focus," Noles said, adding, "It is the basic supply and demand concept everyone learns in basic economics."
Noles also said they had resources on site to help any of the females they encountered during the operation.
"The national statistic currently is that 90% of prostitutes are dependent upon a pimp," she said. "We did not want to be blind to this statistic."
"We provided the opportunity for every female to speak with an advocate," Noles went on to say. "We also are doing our due diligence and investigating each of the cases further because as you can see from this statistic, there is great concern that the females have pimps."
"We would love to be able to help these victims and prosecute these pimps. Prostitution is certainly not a victimless crime, and it is important for us to remember that so many of these females want out of these situations, but they cannot get out," she said.
Newnan is about 40 miles southwest of Atlanta. It has a population of just over 43,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2021.
"It is certainly not just in big cities," Noles explained. "If there is a hotel in your town, there is a high likelihood that prostitution is happening right under your nose."
"Again, the national statistic shows us that 90% of these females are being forced into commercial sex work," she added. "At that point, you can see that sex trafficking can occur anywhere that there is prostitution."
Noles pointed out the fact that despite Atlanta being a hotbed for human trafficking, the major cities aren't the only places these crimes are happening in.
"Here specifically, we are so close to Atlanta, which is a large hub for trafficking, so we do see these cases. However, it is not just big cities," she said. "It is everywhere, but it remains the topic that most do not want to even think about, all the while it is happening all around us. We are so fortunate to have an incredibly supportive agency when it comes to targeting trafficking. Our agency recognizes the problem and is willing to allocate resources to fight against it."
11Alive is working to the get the names and mugshots of the individuals arrested during the operation.
Contact the Human Trafficking Hotline
- If you suspect human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll free at (888) 373-7888.
- To report suspected human trafficking in Georgia, call the Statewide 24-Hour Human Trafficking Hotline at (866) 363-4842.
- If you have reason to believe that a victim is in imminent danger, call 911 or your local law enforcement agency to file a report.
- For more information on how to get help for both national and foreign-born victims of human trafficking, visit www.endhtga.org.