11 arrested in human trafficking, prostitution sting in Cumberland County

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Eleven people are facing charges after several agencies in Cumberland County conducted a human trafficking and prostitution operation during the weekend.

Lt. Sean Swain, a public information officer with the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, says the operation involved SBI, Fayetteville PD, and a non-profit group called Five Sparrows.

"It was geared towards people walking the streets but it was also done via the internet on dating sites," Swain said.

The three agencies spent Saturday posing as solicitors on more than five dating services, looking for patterns and red flags.

Swain said most of the arrests made Saturday came from people they made contact with online.

"Randomly choose through these different sites and if we see someone that's posting on multiple sites, that's one of the target we're going to go after," Swain said.

The other tier of the operation involved officials going to the streets and using tips they've received over time.

"The Gillespie Street, 301 Eastern Blvd., West Mountain Drive has always been a hot-spot," Swain said.

Those arrested ranged between the ages of 22 and 51. Some of those suspects are residents from Goldsboro, Spring Lake, and Stedman.

Here is the full list of arrests:

• AmirHakeem James Muwwakkil, 31 years old, of Fayetteville - Promote Prostitution by Advancement, Promote Prostitution for Profit, and Possession of Cocaine
• Teressa Kaitlyn Daves, 25 years old, of Dunn - Carrying a Concealed Weapon, Possession of Heroin and Marijuana
• Brittany Marie Edge, 24 years old, of Fayetteville - Solicitation of Prostitution, and Possession of Cocaine
• Enrique Rodrigo Goodridge, 28 years old, of Fayetteville - Solicitation of Prostitution
• Imba Evans, 27 years old, of Fayetteville - Solicitation of Prostitution
• Zavon Nicholas Kelly, 22 years old, of Hope Mills - Solicitation of Prostitution
• Larahn Christopher Stokes, 51 years old, of Fayetteville - Solicitation of Prostitution
• Jessica Lynn Covarrubias 27, years old, of Stedman - Solicitation of Prostitution
• Nickalaus Tyrone Williams, 40 years old, of Fayetteville - Solicitation of Prostitution
• Joseph Williams-Bauer , 22 years old of Goldsboro- Solicitation of Prostitution
• Jose Rodriguez 35, years old of Spring Lake- Solicitation of Prostitution, Possession of Marijuana

With the operation complete, Swain said the next stage is looking to rehabilitate many of these individuals. That's where Five Sparrows comes in.

The CCSO said the non-profit provides support and counseling to those looking to get out of the cycle of prostitution or substance abuse.

"We may be able to get one or two out of this type of lifestyle. But in the meantime, we did catch one person that was promoting prostitution," Swain said.

Another goal from the county is to lessen crimes that come along with human trafficking and prostitution.

CCSO said it will continue to assess areas and deem when another operation is needed.