Overview

• The GBI’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force led the sting with the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office, coordinating 14 local, state and federal partners.
• The multi-day undercover effort ran October 2–6 and used decoys posing as minors on social media, dating apps and messaging platforms.
• Eleven suspects were charged with offenses ranging from child exploitation to trafficking for sexual servitude after allegedly arranging to meet a child.
• Authorities said the arrestees included two registered sex offenders and one person in the country illegally, with jobs spanning driver, engineers and factory or mill workers.
• Investigators urged parental vigilance and noted more than 38,000 child-exploitation cyber tips in Georgia as the probe continues.