KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The 15-year-old girl found with 5 1/2 pounds of meth strapped to her stomach during a traffic stop last week was a human trafficking victim, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.
A trooper pulled over a 2019 Jeep Compass with Oregon tags for following too close on Interstate 70 near Missouri 13 in Lafayette County, Missouri.
The trooper smelled marijuana, and after finding the drug and paraphernalia in the car, took both the 22-year-old driver and the teenager to a nearby police department for questioning.
Troopers’ suspicions were raised when the pair gave conflicting accounts of how they were acquainted.
"When you’re dealing with a juvenile that has been victimized, she was readily willing to let them know what was taking place," said Sgt. Bill Lowe, spokesperson for MSHP.
The victim and suspect, identified as Brenda Alcaraz, hadn’t known each other before the trip. The final destination was to be in South Carolina.
Troopers are getting more training on how to look out for children who are being trafficked. Representatives from the Texas Department of Public Safety conduct the training program for law enforcement.
In 124 trooper-conducted traffic stops where they suspected criminal activity, 19 human trafficking victims were identified and 78 suspects arrested in 2019.
"Taking the mindset of, these are victims and we need to make sure that we are fully investigating the traffic stop we’re on and not just writing a ticket and sending them down the road," said Lowe.
Lucy Bloom with anti-trafficking organization Veronica's Voice said in these cases, there are often many other traffickers in charge and giving orders. She said she is not surprised that a 22-year-old and a 15-year-old would be used to carry out the order.
Bloom said she was amazed the teen told troopers what she was going through.
"I'm very proud of her," Bloom said.
She also said this incident is proof the law enforcement training is working.
"One of the things we are encouraged about is seeing the result of all the efforts for training law enforcement, that this highway patrol person felt there’s something more going on here," Bloom said.
Lowe said the girl has returned to her home in Oregon and is getting connected to victim support services.
The victim’s mother didn’t know her daughter was out of state, or that she hadn’t attended school for a week prior to being found in Missouri.
The teenager had been staying at a friend’s house while she handled family issues, the mother told troopers.
Alcaraz has been charged with first-degree drug trafficking, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child involving drugs, possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. She will be in Lafayette County court on Nov. 6.
Seen here is a 15 y/o smuggling drugs. Underneath layers of clothing, a bandage, & tape, is 5.5 lbs of meth strapped to the her abdomen. What you don’t see is the exploitation of this juvenile. Thankfully our troopers rescued her & arrested a suspect.
— MSHP Troop A (@MSHPTrooperA) November 1, 2019
Human trafficking is real! pic.twitter.com/vOAvo13WLy
