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Biography

Rochelle Keyhan is Chief Executive Officer of Collective Liberty (https://collectiveliberty.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com), which created and operates the Human Trafficking Fusion Center, a national intelligence and data initiative that maintains information on traffickers, facilitators, venues, and exploitation networks. A former prosecutor with more than fifteen years of experience in human trafficking and organized crime cases, she focuses on applying intelligence analysis and offender-focused strategies to improve anti-trafficking investigations and policy.

Abstract

This article examines human trafficking through the lens of organized crime and explores how this perspective can be applied to contemporary trafficking cases in the United States. While trafficking is often prosecuted as an isolated criminal act, many incidents are linked to larger transnational and domestic organized crime networks. The discussion highlights the activities of notorious syndicates, including international cartels, street gangs, and well-funded networks of sex buyers, demonstrating how these entities exploit vulnerable populations for profit. Reframing human trafficking as a sector within organized crime shifts investigative and prosecutorial strategies away from victim-dependent models, which often require survivors to serve as primary witnesses. This organized crime approach emphasizes targeting entire criminal enterprises through intelligence-led investigations and enterprise-based prosecutions. Such strategies not only enhance investigative efficiency but also protect victims and survivors from unnecessary legal exposure. Positioning trafficking within the broader framework of organized crime opens opportunities for legislative reform, interagency collaboration, and the disruption of complex criminal ecosystems. Ultimately, this article shows that adopting organized crime frameworks will better dismantle entrenched trafficking networks, reduce harm to survivors, and strengthen systemic prevention and enforcement efforts.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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