Portland Police say they recovered six teenage girls along 82nd Avenue during multiple missions to combat human trafficking last month. The girls are between the ages of 13 and 17 years old.

The Portland Police Human Trafficking Unit and officers from PPB’s East Precinct say the girls were seen over a three week period in an area in Northeast Portland law enforcement consider a hotspot for prostitution.

PPB Sgt. Onest Robert, who spoke to reporters at a press conference livestreamed by KATU Thursday, said officers noticed an uptick in minors seen on 82nd Avenue over the past month. It’s a significant increase, he explained, from what they typically see out there.

“This has been very, very shocking to us,” Robert said. “We believe all these juveniles are being exploited out there on the street and so it’s been very concerning to us.”

According to police, most of the teen girls are from Washington state. Police are working with victim advocacy groups to reunite them with their families or place them in foster care.

Ester Garrett, the founder and CEO of Safety Compass, a nonprofit organization serving sex-trafficking survivors in Oregon, said they’ve also noticed an increase in cases involving minors.

On average, the group usually sees about 400 people a year, and about 50% of them are under 18, Garrett said. But over the past month, she said, 73% of the people the organization assisted have been minors.

“I think it’s important when you see a significant change,” Garrett said at Thursday’s press conference. “To look at the bigger story about why is that happening and what’s going on.”

Garrett learned after speaking with survivors in previous cases that Portland has a reputation of being a low-risk, high-reward area for traffickers, particularly in a corridor of 82nd Avenue known as “the blade”.

“On the blade, the word on the street is that there’s a lot of activity, a lot of money to be made, therefore a large demand in the Portland area,” she said. “And that there is a lack of enforcement compared to the amount of demand.”

Sgt. Roberts says the bureau’s human trafficking unit has increased patrols in response.

It’s unclear if any arrests were made in connection with the recovery of the six girls. The cases remain under investigation.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office says it is working with the girls to gather information and evidence needed for potential prosecutions.

The DA’s office says it relies on survivors of human trafficking to bring these cases to court, but that’s if survivors are ready and want to press charges.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/07/portland-oregon-crime-human-trafficking-operation/