HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - Tips to police about possible human trafficking at the Oceanfront have led to arrests.
Recent cases highlight how this problem is impacting children and adults.
The Oceanfront draws tourists every year and generates money for the region, but experts say it’s also a hot spot for human trafficking.
Back in 2020, a tip to Virginia Beach police about females possibly involved in prostitution and possible human trafficking at hotels at the Oceanfront led to the arrest of two men.
The men were charged with prostitution not trafficking.
Records reveal the females were brought to Virginia Beach from New Jersey.
Thursday News 3 reported the arrest of Pierre De Romeo Smith accused of trafficking a minor at another hotel.
Court documents say that in May Virginia Beach Police dispatch got a tip about a girl who was being sex trafficked.
Investigators were able to make contact with an individual who arranged for a meet-up at a hotel at the Oceanfront.
An undercover detective then arrived at the hotel and the detective arranged to pay the girl $350. Once the deal was made police officers entered the room and detained the girl, according to court documents.
Court records reveal that in June of 2021 Homeland Security and Virginia Beach Police got a report of a 12-year-old runaway. She came to the United States from Honduras a year and a half prior. It states the girl was suspected to be at the Oceanfront possibly involved in human trafficking.
She ran away from a foster home and met a man at a gas station in Richmond who took her to the Oceanfront, according to records.
He was arrested for sexually abusing the child but not trafficking her.
Experts say tips from the public led to arrests and convictions. They say it is vital for people to report anything they believe to be suspicious.
Tanya Gould is a survivor and now the Director of Anti-Human Trafficking for the Office of the Attorney General.
She said sometimes people debate on whether or not to call law enforcement to report suspicious activity because they are worried they are wrong.
“They don't want to report something that may not be a trafficking situation, but that's just not your job to decide. What we're asking is to just report suspicious activity,” said Gould.
Some victims are lured to our area by predators with all kinds of promises.
Beth Cross with the advocacy group Freekind, said over 50 percent of victims they see are first coerced by a friend or family member from the area.
She said one case involved young females from Idaho who were promised modeling careers, but when they arrived they were set up by a predator.
“I think desperate situations push people in desperate and dark places and so we have to be vigilant about what's happening in our community,” said Cross.
Gould said a tip to the police could have helped her years ago get out of a bad situation.
“It's our job to remind ourselves that there is a demand coming from somewhere. Local people are buying other people, and we can help disrupt the cycle when we make a tip to our local law enforcement or to the national hotline,” said Cross.
You can call Virginia State Police at #77, you can text the National Human Trafficking Hotline at BEFREE, or chat live with someone.
National Human Trafficking Hotline: (888) 373-7888.
Hidden in Plain Sight: Survivors share stories to help combat human trafficking in Hampton Roads
