NYPD arrests 89 traffickers and rescues 43 victims during World Cup crackdown

During the 39‑day FIFA World Cup, the New York Police Department seized 89 individuals suspected of human trafficking and rescued 43 victims, seven of whom were minors. Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the NYPD Special Victims Unit, said investigators monitored watch parties, online forums and previously convicted traffickers, and conducted operations at the tournament’s venues, including MetLife Stadium. "We saw our officers out there at these large gatherings, but what you didn’t see were our investigators working behind the scenes," Marcus told reporters. The coordinated effort targeted both new offenders and those previously convicted, leading to arrests and the liberation of victims from hotel rooms and other locations across the five boroughs.