Human trafficking soars in blue city as gangs, highways fuel ‘perfect storm’ of child exploitation: experts
A startling rise in human trafficking cases throughout one of the nation’s most populous states is putting both experts and parents on alert, with data indicating that criminals are targeting children in unprecedented numbers.
North Carolina is ranked ninth in the country for human trafficking, according to data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline. In 2024, the state identified 301 cases of human trafficking involving 580 victims, the Hotline indicated.
These cases involve instances of sex trafficking, labor trafficking and additional types of exploitation that may not be specified or remain unknown, according to the Hotline. In North Carolina, data indicates that in 2024, there were 145 reported cases of sex trafficking, 73 cases of labor trafficking, and 38 cases of both sex and labor trafficking.
Hannah Arrowood, executive director of Present Age Ministries, spearheads a partnership with the Charlotte Metro Human Trafficking Task Force in an attempt to understand and combat the rise in cases.
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“It really is kind of like a perfect storm,” Arrowood told Fox News Digital. “There are a lot of variables. One of the things that we have to know is that trafficking happens everywhere. It happens in every city and every town, whether you’re rural [or in a] city – it really doesn’t matter. But for Charlotte, one thing is that we have a lot of factors that attract demand.”
The eye-watering number of cases is best explained by North Carolina’s sweeping interstate highway system, high demand for inexpensive labor throughout its agricultural industry, and increased amount of gang activity, experts said.
“Part of the reason why Charlotte is such a huge trafficking hub is because of the highway system,” Toby Braun, founder of American Special Investigative Group, told Fox News Digital. “A lot of these traffickers are running victims and may start in South Florida. From South Florida, they go to Atlanta, and from Atlanta, they pass through Charlotte. Oftentimes there, they may put them in safe houses.”
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According to Braun, victims will then be transported to other major cities throughout the country – like New York or Houston – after passing through Charlotte.
“Charlotte is kind of like a central hub, or an epicenter,” Braun said. “For the most part, it’s kind of a pit stop.”
The number of Charlotte residents falling victim to trafficking can partially be attributed to the prevalence of gang activity within the city, with criminal organizations maintaining a firm grip on the area’s network, according to experts.
“The Bloods have a huge stronghold in human trafficking,” Braun said. “They’re one of the primary organized crime groups responsible for trafficking [in Charlotte]. For the most part, these are criminal networks. And that also makes it tougher, because of the kind of resources that they have and the ability to traffic people around, hide them in places and really stay undetected.”
While many victims can be from out of state, Arrowood emphasizes that many of the individuals being trafficked are coming from within the Charlotte area, with perpetrators targeting school-aged children within the city.
According to data from the Charlotte Metro Human Trafficking Task Force, 48% of trafficking cases in 2024 involved minors aged 15 or younger.
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From 2020 to 2024, Charlotte saw a 76% increase in reported cases of minor trafficking, according to the task force.
“We do see every ethnicity affected – every socioeconomic class,” Arrowood said. “The pathway or grooming might look different if someone has housing insecurity or food insecurity, versus living in a middle-to-upper class, two-parent home, right? The method might look different, the coercion might look different, but we do see it across the board.”
Of the reported cases, residence-based commercial sex and domestic work were the leading venues for sex and labor trafficking, respectively. Additionally, 214 victims were female, 63 were men, and four included gender minorities, according to the Hotline.
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In 2024, data provided by the task force revealed that authorities identified 106 minors within the Charlotte area who were confirmed or suspected victims of trafficking. The number is primarily attributed to criminals using newer, more creative methods to recruit their victims.
“The primary way is through online [platforms],” Arrowood said. “They are connecting in some way or somehow, whether it’s through social media, a gaming app, [or] through a dating app. Then there usually is a meet in-person, right? We call it digital grooming. They’re grooming them, building trust – a lot of times they’re presenting as boyfriend, so [victims] are thinking they’re in a relationship with this person.”
However, due to the nature of trafficking crimes, most cases go unreported. Arrowood also points to a backlog of cases piling up for local law enforcement, who may not have the resources needed to fully investigate each case.
“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,” Arrowood told Fox News Digital.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department declined Fox News Digital’s request for an interview and request for comment.
As the city continues to see a startling rise in trafficking throughout the area, particularly involving minors, Braun urges parents to take steps to keep their children safe.
“People think that these traffickers are these monsters – and they are,” Braun said. “They can be boyfriends or classmates. We’ve seen cases with coaches and people that you would never really expect, and I think that’s what makes them dangerous – the fact that they can be individuals that are hiding in plain sight.”
