by WorldTribune Staff, November 21, 2025 Real World News

Charlotte is North Carolina’s most populous city known for its major banking center, airport, and the cultural influence of the late Rev. Billy Graham. But last week, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden warned that federal agents would descend on Charlotte, N.C., to carry out immigration raids.

Sure enough, the L.A. Times reported, “on Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that it had launched “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” claiming that North Carolina was overrun by criminal undocumented immigrants because of “sanctuary politicians.”

What happened to a city long regarded as one of the best places to live in the state?

A major increase in gang activity, high demand for cheap labor, and easy access to interstate highways has enabled criminal networks to establish a human trafficking hub in Charlotte, reports say.

“Charlotte is kind of like a central hub, or an epicenter,” Braun said. “For the most part, it’s kind of a pit stop.” Toby Braun, founder of American Special Investigative Group, told Fox News Digital.

“Part of the reason why Charlotte is such a huge trafficking hub is because of the highway system,” Braun said. “A lot of these traffickers are running victims and may start in South Florida. From South Florida, they go to Atlanta, and from Atlanta, they pass through Charlotte. Oftentimes there, they may put them in safe houses.”

The traffickers are also targeting school-aged children within the Democrat-run city. From 2020 to 2024, Charlotte saw a 76% increase in reported cases of minor trafficking, according to the Charlotte Metro Human Trafficking Task Force.

In 2024, data provided by the task force revealed that authorities identified 106 minors within the Charlotte area who were confirmed or suspected victims of trafficking. The number is primarily attributed to criminals using newer, more creative methods to recruit their victims.

“The primary way is through online [platforms],” said Hannah Arrowood, executive director of Present Age Ministries, which is partnering with the Carlotte task force in an attempt to combat the rise in cases.

“They are connecting in some way or somehow, whether it’s through social media, a gaming app, [or] through a dating app. Then there usually is a meet in-person, right? We call it digital grooming. They’re grooming them, building trust – a lot of times they’re presenting as boyfriend, so [victims] are thinking they’re in a relationship with this person.”

Criminal organizations maintain a firm grip on the area’s trafficking network, according to experts.

“The Bloods have a huge stronghold in human trafficking,” Braun said. “They’re one of the primary organized crime groups responsible for trafficking [in Charlotte]. For the most part, these are criminal networks. And that also makes it tougher, because of the kind of resources that they have and the ability to traffic people around, hide them in places and really stay undetected.”

Braun urges parents to take steps to keep their children safe.

“People think that these traffickers are these monsters – and they are,” Braun said. “They can be boyfriends or classmates. We’ve seen cases with coaches and people that you would never really expect, and I think that’s what makes them dangerous – the fact that they can be individuals that are hiding in plain sight.”

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  multiple factors tied to Charlotte’s emergence as trafficking hub, Reports: NC highway system, WorldTribune.com