Valley undercover operation leads to 16 child sex crime arrests
Oct 26, 2022, 9:12 AM | Updated: 9:15 am
(Facebook File Photo/Phoenix Police Department)
(Facebook File Photo/Phoenix Police Department)
PHOENIX — An undercover operation in metro Phoenix involving multiple law enforcement agencies resulted in 16 people being arrested for child sex crimes, authorities said Tuesday.
Phoenix Police Department Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit partnered with the Phoenix PD Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, Tempe PD, Mesa PD, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for the sting called Operation Tangled Web.
The operation targeted the demand for human sex crimes and human trafficking, police said.
Detectives placed ads on websites commonly sought out by suspects seeking illegal sex acts.
The suspects allegedly all allegedly solicited and/or brokered deals for various sex acts, leading to their arrests.
The Phoenix Police Department regularly conducts operations with local, state and federal partners to reduce the demand for child sex trafficking.
