Oakland County sting nets dozens of arrests tied to sex trafficking

An Oakland County task force has arrested 45 people, including buyers known as "Johns," in an ongoing undercover operation targeting human trafficking, resulting in 57 felony and 19 misdemeanor charges. Investigators say the men busted after arranging to meet women for sex at hotels include company CEOs, engineers, dealership owners and both blue-collar and white-collar workers.

Detective Sgt. Mike Miles, who commands the county's human trafficking unit, said many of the men are married and often panic about their families finding out. In one five-hour sting, investigators made contact with 45 different male subjects. Miles said buyers frequently do not realize the person they are messaging online is the trafficker rather than the woman they expect to meet, since traffickers often run the conversations themselves.

Cindy Brown, chief of the county's Human Trafficking Division, said the task force is targeting the problem from multiple directions, arresting traffickers while also working to identify and assist victims. She said improved technology lets investigators track traffickers across commercial sex websites nationwide, not just in Michigan, helping identify additional victims beyond those found during a single sting.

The task force, currently made up of officers from Southfield, Auburn Hills and the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, is watching hotels and Airbnb rentals as out-of-state visitors arrive for Dream Cruise week along Woodward Avenue. Michigan State Police and the Rochester Police Department are expected to join the task force soon.

Read the full story at clickondetroit.com.