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The NYPD launched a massive human trafficking crackdown during the FIFA World Cup — busting nearly 90 creeps and rescuing dozens of survivors, including a child being sex trafficked from a hotel room.
A slew of operations before and during the 39-day international soccer tournament resulted in 89 arrests and the rescue of 43 people, Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit, told reporters on Thursday.
Seven of those rescued across the five boroughhs are minors, Marcus said.
Investigators surveilled watch parties, monitored dark corners of the internet, and paid visits to previously convicted sex traffickers while the massive 104-game tournament took place around North America, including eight games across the Hudson River at MetLife Stadium.
“We saw our officers out there at these large gatherings, but what you didn’t see were our investigators working behind the scenes, gathering intelligence, identifying traffickers, and interacting and trying to rescue these victims,” Marcus told reporters.
Officers also targeted previously convicted sex offenders and sex traffickers in ahead of the World Cup.
“We wanted to let them know that we know who you are, and we’re watching,” Marcus said. “Some of those people were found to be in non compliance, and they were arrested.”
The NYPD conducted 87 operations, which took “years of planning in some cases” and included rescuing one minor from a hotel room and swiftly arresting the creep who sex trafficked her.
“We intercepted an online communication, understood that she was being sex trafficked, and we were able to essentially rescue her from where she was being held and get her out of that horrific situation.”
The NYPD also teamed up with different advocate partners to help connect survivors with services immediately after they were removed from terrifying trafficking situations.
“We had advocates at the hotel operations sitting in a room right next door, so as soon as we took a survivor out of that situation, they were able to meet with an advocate, talk about services, and really just take the temperature down of a situation that could seem really scary at the time,” said Kathleen Baer, NYPD Assistant Commissioner for Gender-Based Violence Policy and Planning.
“So we just really encourage people if they see something, say something, call that hotline, if it doesn’t look right, we’ll check it out. Maybe it’s nothing, but maybe it’s something and you could save someone’s life,” Baer said.
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