BY SPECIAL REPORTER A. PHILLIPS

You’ve see it in the movies.  You’ve heard about it in the larger cities.  It’s mostly involving Asians or Mexicans.

Now it’s reached Del Norte County.  The Crescent City Police Department has been spending time educating themselves about human trafficking. Earlier notions that prostitution was the only form of human trafficking have been dispelled because these days it is broadly of three types: sexual exploitation, labor exploitation and miscellaneous exploitation including organ trade and mail order brides.

Let’s take one recent example of trading a car for an 11 year old virgin.

Here.

In Del Norte County.

A local adult male was released from jail on unrelated charges on February 28th. On March 1st, he stole a car valued at $6,500 from a local woman he knew.  He took the stolen vehicle to a Smith River casino.  Friends of the local woman recognized her vehicle and retrieved it for her.  The owner of the vehicle found a cell phone belonging to the thief.  The cell phone was dead.  She purchased a charger and found text messages involving many locals: six women, 1 man, and the thief related to trading the stolen vehicle for an 11 year old female virgin,  The value they placed on the car was $1,000.  The amount to be paid to the girl $50.  This information was given to the DA’s office on March 24th.

The profit/sex motive is clear.

It will be compelling to see how this case unravels and how it will be handled by the District Attorney’s office.

www.crescentcitytimes.com was asked to publish a letter to editor with details; but in the interest of justice, it would be better to have law enforcement and the courts sort this out.

www.crescentcitytimes.com will keep you informed with updates as they happen.  Nothing new to report since March 24th.