ATLANTA — More than 150 people have been arrested by federal agents in connection to human trafficking and child exploitation charges within the past month in metro Atlanta.
Federal officials held a briefing on Tuesday breaking down “Operation: Red Card” that took place during the FIFA World Cup activities in June and July.
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Federal officials said at a Tuesday briefing that 24 victims of sex trafficking were rescued, all in the metro Atlanta area.
Channel 2’s Richard Elliot was at the briefing, where law enforcement at the local, state and federal levels said they knew before the World Cup even started that human traffickers might try to take advantage of the large crowds.
Agents said Tuesday that some of them were still sitting in local jails.
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During the FIFA World Cup in Atlanta, hundreds of thousands of fans poured into metro Atlanta to enjoy the soccer fun.
However, federal agents shared a darker angle of the celebrations, when they took 153 suspects into custody as part of Operation Red Card.
Of those arrested, 13 were charged with human trafficking, 11 for child exploitation and 129 for pandering.
Officials said agents rescued 54 victims during the operation, with 25 of them now seeking help through Georgia’s network of victim advocacy groups.
“Our message is clear, Atlanta is not a safe place for traffickers and predators,” Steven Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Atlanta, said. “We will find them and bring them to justice.”
Homeland Security gave the briefing alongside the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and other agencies from Georgia, announcing the arrests that happened during the games.
“These crimes target some of the most innocent and vulnerable members of our society and our citizens here in Georgia,” GBI Director Chris Hosey said. “They’re hidden. They’re hidden and they are silent and often not detected until it’s too late, or the innocence has been taken away from that victim.”
Officials said the operation started the day of the first match in Atlanta and ended after the last one, but Schrank said the fight against human trafficking isn’t over.
“These arrests and rescues are more than numbers,” Schrank said. “They represent lives changed, exploitation stopped and our community made safer.”
Until Julyl 1, pandering was mostly a misdemeanor in Georgia, but lawmakers changed that this year.
Now, pandering is a felony and those arrested after July 1 are facing felony pandering charges.
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