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Arizona police arrested 17 men for allegedly attempting to engage in illicit sexual activities with minors during a three-week sting when major events made stops in the Phoenix metro area.
In a tweet on Saturday, the Chandler Police Department posted that it conducted a multi-agency operation targeting online predators, between Jan. 24-26 in Chandler, located on the southeast side of Phoenix.
The operation was part of a larger effort that lasted for three-weeks, when events like the Super Bowl, Waste Management Phoenix Open and Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction made stops in the area.
According to the Chandler Police Department, the major events draw large crowds of people from all over the country, but also can create a bigger market for human sex trafficking-related activities.
Chandler Police, along with the Gilbert, Mesa, and Glendale police departments, the Arizona Attorney General’s office, Homeland Security and FBI arrested 17 suspects during the operation, who were charged with a total of 43 sex-related felony crimes.
The men who were arrested for the alleged crimes were Jacob Green, Kyle Cornelius, Steven Binford, Albert Ahumada, Jorge Amezquita, Zachary Hortel, Alberto Cortes, Christopher Lackhan, Omar Miranda Vera, Keith Wilson Jackson, Robert Spankle, Michael Turner, “Juan” Martin Dominguez, Patrick Matzke, Mario Macias, Austin Graybill and James Marshall.
Police also seized three firearms and various amounts of drugs during the operation.