A statewide law enforcement operation in New Jersey has led to dozens of arrests and support for nearly 100 suspected victims of human trafficking, officials say. The monthslong effort was carried out both ahead of and during the World Cup, as large crowds gathered in the region for the tournament and its matches.
In all, 71 suspects have been placed behind bars as a result of the investigation, according to authorities. The operation targeted not only those accused of exploiting victims but also the people whose demand helps sustain the trade, casting a wide net across the state over the course of several months of work.
Among those arrested, officials said, are 40 people accused of paying for sex. By pursuing buyers alongside those accused of running commercial sex operations, the operation went after the demand that authorities say helps keep trafficking networks in business, rather than focusing on a single link in the chain.
Beyond the alleged buyers, a further group of suspects were charged in connection with commercial sex operations and other related offenses uncovered during the sweep. Together, officials said, the arrests span the different roles that make up the trafficking networks the investigators had set out to dismantle across New Jersey.
At the center of the operation were the victims themselves. Nearly 100 suspected victims of trafficking were identified over the course of the investigation, and authorities said the priority was to pull them out of exploitative situations and connect them with help, rather than treat them as offenders in the case.
That support has taken several forms. Officials said the recovered victims have been connected with housing, mental health care, legal aid and substance abuse treatment resources, part of an effort to give people who had been exploited a path toward stability and recovery once the operation had concluded.