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Thursday, March 28, 2024

A judge sentenced Gainesville resident Mikel Craig to 25 years in federal prison Thursday after authorities said he trafficked a woman for the purpose of sex. 

Craig used threats and physical violence to control the woman, whom he advertised on backpage.com under “escort services.”

Today, the country recognizes such cases during National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. 

Marie Samec, the vice president of the Alachua County Coalition Against Human Trafficking, said human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery.

“All kinds of human trafficking basically center on exploitation,” Samec said. “If it’s an adult, they involve force or fraud or coercion to control their victims.”

In October, police charged Gainesville residents Michael Hayes, Ranell Carter Jr. and Tawanda Burkett after authorities said they sex trafficked a 15-year-old girl, according to court records.

They forced the girl to use drugs and have sex with approximately 10 men over the course of about one month, according to the records.

“Most of them, at least in these local cases, are put on drugs so that they form an addiction as a way of controlling them,” Samec said.

Florida has the highest number of human trafficking victims in the U.S., according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. 

Last year, the National Human Trafficking Center hotline received 1,145 calls from the state of Florida — a small fraction of overall cases according to the center’s website.

At an annual task force meeting Tuesday, John Kerry, the U.S. secretary of state, said only about 1 percent of the 20 million people who are enslaved are identified on an annual basis. 

Carla Coultas, the creator of Wardrobe by Carla Coultas, spreads awareness with her annual Fashion for Freedom charity event.

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“I think there are a lot of ways that you can get involved in Gainesville,” she said. “It’s one of those things that one person can make a really big difference.” 

The third annual show is being held at Loosey’s Downtown on Sunday at 7 p.m. Entry is $7 and all proceeds go toward Project Rescue, Coultas said. 

“I wanted to bring attention to my brand, obviously, but I was really excited to realize that I had a tool to now bring attention to helping to liberate women and children also,” she said.

Samec said traffickers often take the victim’s identification, controlling both their mental and physical freedom. In hopes of liberating them, she said, people can volunteer or donate to local agencies.

When suspicious of an immediate threat, Samec urged people to call 911.

“Otherwise, the national hotline at 1-888-373-7888 is the best source if they have any suspicions or need help,” she said.

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