A two-day sting aimed at stopping human trafficking in Fayetteville resulted in seven arrests. Seven men were arrested Friday in an undercover operation targeting human trafficking in Cumberland County.
Wake Forest police and the FBI were able to target Amadeo Vargas-Valera, 49, in December by posting ads on websites known for soliciting prostitution. A new search warrant details how the FBI and Wake Forest police were able to arrest one of six men charged with human trafficking and soliciting prostitution. Six men are facing charges as part of a multi-jurisdictional undercover sting operation targeting child sex predators and human traffickers. CNN -- Three individuals have been arrested on charges of operating a "high-end brothel network" in Massachusetts and Virginia with a clientele that included elected officials, military officers and government contractors with security clearances, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
Cumberland County Sheriff Ennis Wright says there are other motels along the Gillespie Street corridor that may suffer the same fate. A Fayetteville motel that has long seen issues with crime was served an abatement and injunction order on Monday. Advocates fighting to end human trafficking are pushing for more transitional housing options for victims who have escaped or been rescued. Fayetteville police conducted a prostitution sting at a motel along Skibo Road, leading to nine arrests for the solicitation of prostitution.
Earlier this summer, the unthinkable happened to a year-old Wake County middle school student. Brieania Pinnock, 21, has a history of charges for sexually exploiting a minor or promoting prostitution. Some Cumberland County resident say crime from nearby motels is trickling down into their neighborhood and they want it to stop. The owner of Healthy Feet, a massage spa in Sanford, has been arrested after a months-long investigation. A Smithfield man who has served time for killing one man and still faces charges in a year-old homicide case will spend the rest of his life behind bars on unrelated human trafficking charges, according to federal authorities.
A man has been found guilty of human trafficking after three years of investigations from Fayetteville police. A Smithfield man who has served time for killing one man and still faces charges in a year-old homicide case has been found guilty of human trafficking, authorities said Monday. A Florida woman was sentenced to federal prison Thursday for prostituting a year-old in Raleigh, authorities said.
