SALT LAKE CITY — A multi-agency undercover operation focused around this month's NBA All-Star Weekend led to numerous arrests of people using the internet to solicit and entice minors.
On Monday, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced 12 people were arrested during Operation Technical Foul, which was organized by the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force over a 10-day period.
Over 100,000 people visited northern Utah during one of the biggest events on the NBA calendar earlier this month.
All those arrested are currently being held in the Salt Lake County Jail as their cases are reviewed.
"When we understand trafficking is exploitation of vulnerable individuals, it’s not just in a Columbian jungle in the basement somewhere," said Candace Rivera with the non-profit group Exitus.
Rivera's group helps facilitate an exit for those caught up in human trafficking.
"We don’t believe in rescuing. We believe in exit strategies and exit planning," Rivera said. "Aligning them with mentors, crisis counselors, therapists that can walk that road with them is huge."
Exitus is helping the survivors of sting operations like Operation Technical Found.
"It was about addressing the issue of online enticement and predatory behavior that targets our most vulnerable: our children," said Gill,
The charges facing the people arrested in the operation range from sexual exploitation of a minor to enticement to sharing contraband.
"Whenever you have large events it creates its own sort of buzz and it creates its own opportunity for people to be distracted and for predators to be very prolific," Gill added.
He said finding traffickers has been a targeted effort for his office since the end of 2018, and since then Gill's office has 245 prosecutions. They know there are many more out there who have not been arrested or prosecuted, but Gill said hopes each new arrest sends a message.
"If you’re an online predator, we’re here. We’re going to catch you and we’re going to prosecute you."
Gill warns parents to talk to their kids, especially about their phones and the access they can give strangers to their children.
That's something Rivera says Exitus is also trying to fight and help those survivors as they take that next step.
"We meet them where they’re at and I think that makes a difference," she said. "Not only providing education and awareness for the community but also figuring out ways to help these, mostly young girls, but also young boys, men and women to actually be successful in healing."
All those arrested are currently being held in the Salt Lake County Jail as their cases are reviewed.
The agencies working alongside the FBI during the operation included the Utah State Bureau of Investigation, Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, the Davis County Attorney’s Office, Davis County Sheriff’s Office, South Jordan Police Department, Unified Police Department, Tooele City Police Department, Clearfield Police Department, Utah State University Police, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations.
