LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The 8 News Now Investigators obtained information on seven of the 70-plus men arrested during a sex trafficking operation run by Metro police’s vice squad during the week of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Those seven men, according to Captain Hector Cintron of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s vice unit, were arrested for “luring a child or soliciting a minor.”
All seven thought they were meeting a teenage girl, the police reports said. Those records indicate the oldest man arrested is 64, the youngest is 22.
Each defendant has an open case in the Las Vegas Justice Court with a variety of sex charges including luring a child for sexual acts. One of those men, 31, also faces a gun charge – carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.
That person told police “He carries a firearm when he is alone,” the police report said. He acknowledged meeting a 14-year-old female, according to the report, which also said he told police the $100 in his pocket at the time of his arrest “was to buy sushi.”
Most men agreed to pay their decoys somewhere in the range of $100-$120, while one of the men arrested initially offered his decoy $120 and lowered his offer to $100.00. Most had cash on their person and some brought protection. Others negotiated sex without protection, the reports said.
Seven of the 70-plus men arrested during a sex trafficking operation run by Metro police’s vice squad during the week of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.. (Mugshots provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
The police report of one of the other defendants, 46, lists a Sacramento address. That man was arrested in his blue Lexus with California plates and thought he was meeting a 14-year-old, the report said.
Police recovered two Viagra pills in the man’s vehicle during that arrest, which the man denied. The report said the man then “stated he has Viagra because ‘his thing doesn’t work.’”
Cintron indicated that while the Strip was inundated with tourists during the week of F1, the issue of sex trafficking plagues the entire Las Vegas valley.
“I want the community to understand that this is not specific to our tourist corridors. It’s occurring in our neighborhoods beyond the Strip,” Cintron said.
During the press conference in November, police said they would be launching a public awareness campaign to help increase awareness and teach the community the signs to look for in sex trafficking. More information about the effort will be shared soon.
Additionally, police said Metro will be coordinating an effort with the NFL to combat sex trafficking in advance of Super Bowl 58 on Feb. 11, 2024.
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