❓WHAT HAPPENED: A significant rise in human trafficking cases took place in North Carolina last year, with 301 cases and 580 victims identified in 2024, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Victims included 214 females, 63 males, and four gender minorities. Traffickers often include organized crime groups such as the Bloods, as well as criminals targeting minors.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The cases occurred primarily in the Charlotte area, with a 76 percent increase in minor trafficking cases from 2020 to 2024. North Carolina is ranked ninth in the U.S. for human trafficking.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Trafficking happens everywhere. It happens in every city and every town, whether you’re rural [or in a] city – it really doesn’t matter.” – Hannah Arrowood, executive director of Present Age Ministries.
🎯IMPACT: The rise in trafficking highlights vulnerabilities in local law enforcement resources, as well as the need for increased vigilance among parents and communities.
North Carolina saw a troubling increase in human trafficking cases last year, with 301 cases involving 580 victims reported in 2024, according to data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline. These cases include sex trafficking, labor trafficking, and other forms of exploitation. Of the reported cases, 145 involved sex trafficking, 73 involved labor trafficking, and 38 combined both forms.
Experts attribute the rise to several factors, including North Carolina’s expansive interstate highway system, demand for cheap foreign labor in the agricultural sector, and a surge in gang activity. “Part of the reason why Charlotte is such a huge trafficking hub is because of the highway system,” said Toby Braun, founder of the American Special Investigative Group. “A lot of these traffickers are running victims and may start in South Florida… Oftentimes there, they may put them in safe houses.”
Hannah Arrowood, executive director of Present Age Ministries, noted that traffickers target children in both urban and rural areas, with many victims being minors. Data from the Charlotte Metro Human Trafficking Task Force revealed that 48 percent of trafficking cases in 2024 involved individuals aged 15 or younger. From 2020 to 2024, Charlotte experienced a 76 percent increase in reported cases of minor trafficking.
Organized crime groups, such as the Bloods, play a significant role in trafficking operations in Charlotte, according to Braun. “The Bloods have a huge stronghold in human trafficking. They’re one of the primary organized crime groups responsible for trafficking [in Charlotte].” Arrowood also highlighted the prevalence of online platforms as a recruitment tool, describing the process as “digital grooming.”
Despite the alarming numbers, many cases remain unreported due to the covert nature of trafficking crimes and limited resources within law enforcement agencies. Arrowood emphasized the challenges local officials face, stating, “Agencies are just always at limited capacity in terms of the amount of work, or the amount of people and manpower they have to manage the amount of referrals that are coming in.”
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