Central Virginia police agencies arrested 36 people on charges related to commercial sex trafficking during two recent online sting operations, according to a release from the Chesterfield County Police Department.
The Chesterfield department said on Monday that it had arrested 27 people during two operations and charged them with solicitation for prostitution, while the Hanover County sheriff's office arrested five people on the same charge, according to a Facebook post from CCPD.
The “chatting operation,” where law enforcement said they engaged with people on various online platforms, was conducted on June 9 and July 12, according to the release. That later event was a joint operation among Chesterfield, the Henrico County Police Division and the Hanover County Sheriff's Office.
Henrico police arrested four people for commercial sex trafficking charges after officers posed as potential new “employees.”
The three dozen individuals charged in the operation hail from a range of localities across Virginia, including Richmond, Chesterfield and Petersburg, among others. Charges also include possession of a controlled substance and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the release.