GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Police say five suspects were charged during a prostitution bust in Gwinnett County, with some suspects brought in from another part of the metro Atlanta area.
Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson spoke with an undercover officer, who walked him through how the prostitution bust happened at a home in Gwinnett County.
Officers told Johnson they rescued several victims during the operation.
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The five people arrested at the home in Norcross are facing charges for keeping a place of prostitution, and after the arrests, police said their focus was on the victims.
According to police, victims are often threatened in their home countries.
“As many victims as we can recover and then go after the traffickers,” the undercover officer told Channel 2 Action News.
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Police said the house on Singleton Road in Norcross was being used as a brothel, and the people running it were bringing victims there to be sold for sex.
Channel 2 Action News did not identify the officer, or show his face, who helped crack the case’s face because he’s still working undercover.
“They came for a better life and somebody’s taken advantage of ‘em,” he said.
Police arrested David Lopez Ramos and Victor Mendoza on Feb. 27, both were charged with pimping for setting up meetings to sell sex.
“We have seen other cases where people are being exploited,” the undercover officer said. “It could be Dominican Republic, it could be any country.”
The officer said traffickers often control victims by threatening their family members back home.
“They tell people that ‘hey, I’m friends with the police, I’m friends with this and that, and if you don’t do it, we will report you or we’ll come get you,’” the officer said.
As part of the operation, the DeKalb County Police Department made arrests at a second location, then transferred the suspects to Gwinnett County.
Arrest warrants for Mendoza show he also faces a felony charge for possession of methamphetamine.
For the undercover officer, the arrest is just one step in a longer mission.
“Hopefully, if we can make contact with him and we can help him out of this lifestyle, we will do everything we can as the Gwinnett County Police Department to give somebody a better life and make ‘em safe,” the officer said.
Many of the charges filed against the suspects are misdemeanors. Jail records show some of the suspects have already bonded out.
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