Undercover operation targets human trafficking | Local news

A two-day undercover operation aimed at stopping human trafficking has resulted in the arrest of two men in Marion County.

Special agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Human Trafficking Unit, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the 12th Judicial District Drug Task Force launched the operation on August 7 as part of an undercover operation to prevent human trafficking in eastern Tennessee.

According to TBI, decoy ads were placed on websites known to be associated with prostitution and commercial sex. The operation was aimed at identifying people who wanted to engage in commercial sex acts with minors.

Bryan Edward Lawson of Georgetown was charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means.

Jeremiah James Masters of Chattanooga was charged with sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means.

Both men were offered and accepted services through a human trafficking victim services organization, the TBI said. They were booked into the Marion County Jail.