Report: Democrat-Run City in Major Swing State Is Becoming a Human Trafficking Hub

Conservative News DailyNovember 17, 2025

The article highlights a significant rise in human trafficking cases in North Carolina,particularly in Charlotte,which is considered an epicenter of the issue. Experts attribute this to multiple factors,including Charlotte’s extensive interstate highway system that traffickers use to transport victims across the country. Gang activity, especially by groups like the Bloods, also contributes to the problem by providing organized criminal networks that facilitate trafficking operations. In 2024, North Carolina reported 301 human trafficking cases involving 580 victims, nearly half of whom were minors under 15. This troubling increase underscores the complexity and severity of human trafficking in the state.

For any political junkie, North Carolina is a state of great interest come election time.

Generally accepted as one of the key “swing states” in U.S. elections, North Carolina often attracts a lot of eyes every four years.

Tragically, it appears the Tar Heel State is attracting a lot of other eyes, too — eyes focused on things far more sinister than political punditry.

According to a sobering Fox News report, experts are warning that North Carolina has seen a sharp uptick in human trafficking cases.

And Charlotte, one of the largest major cities in the state — a city that’s been run by Democrats since 2009, no less — is an “epicenter” of the issue.

A myriad of factors contribute to this dubious distinction, as outlined by Hannah Arrowood, executive director of Present Age Ministries, who spearheads a partnership with the Charlotte Metro Human Trafficking Task Force.

“It really is kind of like a perfect storm,” Arrowood told Fox News Digital. “There are a lot of variables. One of the things that we have to know is that trafficking happens everywhere. It happens in every city and every town, whether you’re rural [or in a] city — it really doesn’t matter.

“But for Charlotte, one thing is that we have a lot of factors that attract demand.”

One key factor is apparently Charlotte’s interstate highway system, which bad actors use to get to other parts of the country.

“Part of the reason why Charlotte is such a huge trafficking hub is because of the highway system,” Toby Braun, founder of the American Special Investigative Group, told Fox News. “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.”

Braun added that victims often get transported to major cities, like New York City or Los Angeles, after making their way through Charlotte first.

“Charlotte is kind of like a central hub, or an epicenter,” he said. “For the most part, it’s kind of a pit stop.”

Another reason for Charlotte’s proliferation of human trafficking has to do with the sizable and notable gang presence in city.

“The Bloods have a huge stronghold in human trafficking,” Braun explained. “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.”

And this isn’t a small issue. The statistics provided by Fox News are staggering.

In 2024, data was collected showing that there were 301 cases of human trafficking with 580 victims in North Carolina.

Those cases can be broken down as follows: