Six men were arrested in a two-day undercover operation in Monroe County, Tennessee, linked to human trafficking, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The operation was conducted last week after authorities placed decoy advertisements known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex cases, according to a TBI news release.
The operation was jointly conducted by the TBI’s Human Trafficking Unit, Sweetwater police, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and the 10th Judicial District Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. It included the arrests of six men ranging in age from 27 to 50, according to TBI.
Those arrested include Tennessee resident Steven Lawrence Kobylski, 33, of Decatur, who is charged with soliciting sexual exploitation of a minor.
According to the TBI and Monroe County Jail records, five other men are charged with trafficking for a commercial sex act: Anthony Cornelius Baylis, 37, of Harriman; Matthew Jason Cohen, 42, of Maryville; James Stephen Stinnett, 27, of Madisonville; Joshua James Thomas, 32, of Tellico Plains; and Pedro Juan Berenguer Torres, 50, of Powell.