In a crackdown on online sex trade, the Milwaukie Police Department has put 12 individuals behind bars in an undercover sting operation targeting sex workers, their patrons, and alleged traffickers, as confirmed by officials on Feb. 28. Authorities, coordinating in a joint effort, nabbed the suspects at two undisclosed locales in the Milwaukie area, utilizing decoy officers who posed as willing participants in the illegal exchange of cash for sexual favors on popular dating sites and apps.

The operation yielded immediate results, as "prostitutes were arrested upon arrival and issued a citation release for prostitution," the Milwaukie Police divulged in a statement. Those apprehended on the spot were not merely processed and sent away; they were pointed towards support services on-site, services orchestrated by the Clackamas County District Attorney's Office, as reported by KOIN.

Among those taken into custody, two purported sex traffickers were intercepted. Marquese Sykes, 28, of Tacoma, and Jalen Frazier, 25, of Portland, came under scrutiny when they arrived accompanying alleged prostitutes. Adding to the gravity of their situation, one individual was found armed and in possession of a wad of hundred-dollar bills. "Investigators are concerned the [aforementioned] sex traffickers have additional victims," as per the official remarks from the Milwaukie Police, as per KOIN.

Authorities are particularly alarmed by the potential that the known traffickers may have victimized others beyond this incident. Notions of coercion and exploitation linger heavily in the air, with law enforcement's primary focus shifting toward identifying and helping any additional victims that might be out there. The sting operation is part of a wider effort to tackle the pernicious web of human trafficking—a blight that continues to mar the underbelly of the city.