Gwinnett County Authorities Dismantle Human Trafficking Ring Operating Near Duluth Hotels

A multi-agency investigation led by the Gwinnett County Police Department has dismantled a human trafficking ring that exploited vulnerable women at hotels along the I-85 corridor in Duluth, arresting five suspects and rescuing seven victims in what officials are calling the largest human trafficking bust in Gwinnett County history.

The operation, code-named "Safe Harbor," was the result of a seven-month investigation involving the Gwinnett County Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the FBI's Atlanta field office.

The Trafficking Ring

According to investigators, the trafficking ring targeted vulnerable women — primarily runaway teens and young women experiencing homelessness or substance abuse — and forced them into commercial sex work at hotels along the Pleasant Hill Road corridor near I-85 in Duluth.

The ring operated by recruiting women through social media, offering them shelter, food, and drugs, and then coercing them into sex work through a combination of addiction dependency, physical threats, and psychological manipulation. The women were transported between multiple hotels in the Duluth area, where the traffickers arranged encounters through online classified advertising platforms.

"These predators targeted the most vulnerable members of our community," said Gwinnett County Police Chief J.D. McClure. "They exploited young women who had nowhere else to turn, who were struggling with addiction or homelessness, and they used that vulnerability to trap them in a nightmare. Today, we shut that nightmare down."

The Investigation

The investigation began in November 2025, when a Duluth hotel employee called police after noticing suspicious activity — multiple men visiting a single room throughout the day, a young woman who appeared fearful and malnourished, and a man who seemed to be controlling her movements.

That tip led detectives to identify 42-year-old Antwan DeShawn Carter of Duluth as the suspected ringleader. Carter, who has prior convictions for drug trafficking and aggravated assault, allegedly recruited women through social media, provided them with drugs to create dependency, and arranged commercial sex encounters through online platforms.

"This is textbook trafficking," said GBI Special Agent in Charge Cheri Hoffman. "The trafficker identifies a vulnerable person, fills a need — shelter, drugs, affection — and then exploits that dependency to force compliance. The victims often don't even see themselves as victims because they've been so thoroughly manipulated."

Through surveillance, undercover operations, and cooperation from hotel staff, investigators identified four additional suspects who served as drivers, enforcers, and money handlers for the operation.

The Rescue and Arrests

On Wednesday morning, officers executed search warrants at two hotels on Pleasant Hill Road and three residential addresses in Duluth, Lawrenceville, and Norcross. Five suspects were arrested:

• Antwan DeShawn Carter, 42, of Duluth — charged with trafficking of persons for labor servitude, pimping, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute
• Marcus Trevarius Sanders, 35, of Lawrenceville — charged with trafficking of persons and aggravated assault
• Lakeisha Monique Williams, 29, of Norcross — charged with trafficking of persons and conspiracy
• David Anthony Russo, 38, of Duluth — charged with pimping and receiving earnings from prostitution
• Brianna Nicole Smith, 24, of Lawrenceville — charged with trafficking of persons and conspiracy

Seven victims — women ranging in age from 17 to 28 — were rescued and transported to a safe location where they are receiving medical care, counseling, and social services through the Gwinnett County Sexual Assault and Child Advocacy Center and the nonprofit Street Grace, which combats child sex trafficking in Georgia.

Three of the seven victims are minors, investigators said.

The I-85 Corridor

The I-85 corridor through Gwinnett County has long been identified by law enforcement as a hotspot for human trafficking. The highway provides easy access for traffickers moving victims between Atlanta, Greenville, SC, and Charlotte, NC, and the dense concentration of hotels, motels, and extended-stay facilities along Pleasant Hill Road and Satellite Boulevard creates an environment where trafficking can operate relatively undetected.

"I-85 is a major artery for human trafficking in the Southeast," said HSI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Katrina Berger. "The combination of highway access, hotel density, and a large transient population makes this corridor attractive to traffickers. And Duluth, situated right at the intersection of I-85 and Pleasant Hill Road, is a particular area of concern."

According to the Georgia Cares — the state's primary victim service provider for commercially sexually exploited children — Georgia received 1,342 tips about potential child sex trafficking in 2025, with the majority involving the Atlanta metropolitan area, including Gwinnett County.

Impact on the Community

For the residents and business owners of Duluth, the bust was both alarming and reassuring.

"We've known for a long time that trafficking was happening along this corridor," said Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris. "But the scale of this operation — five traffickers, seven victims, including minors — is still a shock. I'm grateful to our law enforcement partners for their relentless work. But we also know this is just one operation. The fight continues."

Chief McClure praised the hotel employee whose tip started the investigation. "This case began because one person saw something and said something," McClure said. "A hotel worker noticed that something wasn't right and picked up the phone. That single call set in motion an investigation that rescued seven women from a living hell. That's the power of community vigilance."

Gwinnett County has taken steps to combat human trafficking in recent years. In 2024, the county launched the Gwinnett County Human Trafficking Task Force, a multi-agency coalition that coordinates investigations, victim services, and community education. The task force has trained more than 800 hotel employees to recognize signs of trafficking and has established a rapid-response protocol for suspected trafficking incidents.

The Broader Fight

Human trafficking is a persistent problem in Georgia and across the United States. The National Human Trafficking Hotline received 10,593 reports of human trafficking in 2025, with Georgia ranking among the top 10 states for reported cases.

"Human trafficking is happening in every community in America," said Street Grace CEO Bob Rodgers. "It's happening in hotels, in restaurants, in nail salons, in construction sites, and on the streets. The only way to stop it is through coordinated law enforcement, community education, and comprehensive victim services. This bust is a major step forward, but there is much more work to do."

What Happens Next

The five suspects are being held at the Gwinnett County Jail. Carter faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison if convicted under Georgia's human trafficking statute, which is among the strictest in the nation. All five face federal charges as well, and Carter, Sanders, and Williams will be transferred to federal custody.

Chief McClure said the investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are expected. He urged anyone with information about human trafficking to contact the Gwinnett County Police Department or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

"If you see something that doesn't look right — a young person who seems fearful, who isn't allowed to speak for themselves, who has no personal identification, who shows signs of physical abuse — call us," McClure said. "You might save a life."

The seven victims are receiving comprehensive support services, including housing assistance, medical care, substance abuse treatment, trauma counseling, and legal advocacy. Officials said it would be a long road to recovery, but that the women are safe.

"Today, seven women are free," said Agent Hoffman. "They were in a living nightmare, and now they have a chance. That's what this work is about."