ST. GEORGE — Four men were arrested and charged with patronizing a prostitute following an undercover human trafficking operation last week in Washington County.
The sting operation was part of a focus operation by the St. George Police Department’s detective division and was set in motion when authorities received information alleging that human trafficking and sexual exploitation were possibly taking place in the area.
The undercover sting led to the arrest of three St. George men and one Cedar City man, who all reportedly made online arrangements to meet for sex in exchange for money.
They were arrested when they arrived at the agreed-upon location in Washington County, St. George Police Lt. Johnny Heppler told St. George News.
The police department received information that sex workers were possibly being exploited through human trafficking, which Heppler said, more often than not, involves the exploitation of individuals for profit through force, fraud or persuasion.
2023 file photo for illustrative purposes only of a St. George Police patrol vehicle on River Road in St. George, Utah, Oct. 23, 2023 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
These focused operations are designed to target traffickers. While some consider prostitution a victimless crime and a consensual act between two adults, Heppler said the very nature of sex trafficking does not support that claim and instead involves forced compliance through exploitation and violence.
To that end, these targeted operations open opportunities to identify potential victims of sex trafficking, who are often hidden by virtue of the underground nature of the crime. Heppler added authorities can then assist those afflicted with resources that can help them escape the abusive circumstances of sex trafficking.
“Many times, it is through these focused operations that we see the violence and exploitation of these victims first-hand,” Heppler added.
Interventions targeting demand, or those who exploit sex workers, are also key, he said, since demand is the driving force behind prostitution and sex trafficking. Wherever demand occurs, supply and distribution follow. There is no need for supply when the demand is eliminated through arrest, he said.
Demand-reduction initiatives to address sex trafficking prompted a recent change to Utah law when a bill passed, enhancing the solicitation charge from a class B misdemeanor to a class A misdemeanor. This made penalties stiffer for those paying for commercial sex, as a means to decrease demand.
$100B sex trafficking industry
Every year, millions of men, women and children are trafficked in countries around the world, including the United States, according to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Justice. Many victims are used for sex trafficking, which is an estimated $150 billion per year industry, second only to drug trafficking, and roughly $100 billion of that is derived from sex trafficking, making it one of the world’s most profitable crimes after drug trafficking,
A study by Utah State University found that 98% of victims of sex trafficking were female, and 60% of victims of forced labor were male, according to the cases filed in federal court in 2020, But these rates only reflect those who were identified, leading researchers to suspect the actual numbers were much higher, Susan Madsen, one of four report authors, noted in the study.
Research suggests that victims are usually targeted based on their vulnerability, and if they reintegrate into society, they often return to the same unsafe circumstances that led to their initial victimization, causing possible revictimization.
In 2023, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received 267 contacts, which resulted in 97 human trafficking cases in Utah, up from 157 victims and 39 traffickers who were identified in 2020.
The Utah Attorney General’s Office has also spearheaded a concerted effort to address human trafficking. Even as efforts increase, the Southern Utah corridor remains an area of great concern. Last year, the agency conducted 49 human trafficking investigations, prosecuted eight cases and served 44 victims. One such case led to the arrest of six individuals after a police operation targeted a massage parlor in Utah County.
In Southern Utah, sex trafficking is a concern largely due to its proximity to major cities like Las Vegas, Nevada, a state that ranked No. 1 in human trafficking reports.
There are several factors that can increase the risk of being trafficked, including poverty, family separation, substance abuse, as well as other socioeconomic factors. While traffickers rarely resort to kidnapping a complete stranger off the street, they often rely on acquaintances, friends, romantic partners or even family members in some cases, Madsen noted in the study.
Potential victims can also be lured by fake job advertisements, staffing agencies or false promises of employment. Sex trafficking also relies on online advertisements, which was the case for the St. George sting.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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