SerpApi.Org
The return of the World Cup to the United States placed New Jersey back in the international spotlight, and it also exposed numerous cases of alleged serious criminal activity.
A massive anti-human trafficking sting conducted throughout the tournament resulted in 71 arrests, Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced July 20. The initiative involved 44 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies and assisted 97 suspected victims.
The sting was by far the largest single roundup of alleged human traffickers in recent New Jersey history, but the joint arrests were no isolated event. According to the Attorney General's website, the agency has apprehended several other groups on similar charges in the past five years.
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Here is a recap of all major trafficking stings conducted in New Jersey announced by the AG's office, dating back to 2022.
May 15, 2026
Thirteen New Jersey residents were arrested for allegedly operating a human trafficking ring in Central and South Jersey. Investigators found that the enterprise posted online advertisements of women for commercial sex acts, and the women were expected to provide drugs to clients who wished to purchase them.
On May 7, 15 alleged victims were found after authorities executed search warrants at three residences and three hotels. One of the hotels contained $5,000 in cash along with suspected crack cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine.
July 1, 2025
Eight people were charged with racketeering and human trafficking for allegedly operating brothels at five locations in Trenton and Camden. Men visiting these places would pay $50 for 15 minutes of sex, and the woman would keep $25.
Investigators executed search warrants at the five locations on June 25, 2025. The search found 15 alleged victims, 14 of whom stated they engaged in commercial sex acts with multiple men.
Dec. 3, 2024
Seven defendants were indicted as part of two separate human trafficking enterprises in North and South Jersey.
In one ring, based in Essex County, a female suspected trafficker allegedly used physical acts of violence such as beatings with an electrical cord to control teenage victims subjected to sexual assault by strangers. The other case, in Cumberland County, found that new groups of women were brought to a house each week to allegedly engage in sex acts with men in exchange for money.
Aug. 29, 2022
Eight people were indicted on racketeering and conspiracy charges for allegedly operating a prostitution and human trafficking ring in Mercer and Monmouth counties.
Investigators found that alleged victims were shuttled between two houses of prostitution, one in Trenton and another in Asbury Park. At each home, men purchased poker chips allowing them to select a women for sexual activity for a specific period of time.
Authorities executed search warrants on two separate occasions in January and May 2022 in which they found three alleged victims, including a 17-year-old girl. Among the items seized were notebook ledgers containing the names of alleged victims followed by numbers next to each day of the week, believed to be the number of prostitution clients each woman saw on a given day.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: World Cup human trafficking sting was NJ's latest crackdown
