NORFOLK, Va. — Between October 1, 2018, and September 30, 2019, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Norfolk doubled its number of narcotics enforcement arrests and child exploitation arrests. ICE in Washington D.C. also saw a 40 percent increase in criminal arrests.
HSI in Norfolk had a total of nearly 100 narcotics enforcement arrests and 40 child exploitation arrests. The agency said it was due to significant cases like Operation Cookout.
Across three days in August during Operation Cookout, law enforcement officers arrested 35 people in a massive sting across in Virginia, North Carolina, and Texas.
Another significant care for ICE's HSI Norfolk includes a child exploitation case where a 16-year-old victim met defendant Lavelle Hasson Mayfield at her family's church. The investigation determined the defendant took 137 pornographic images and two videos of the victim and engaged in sexual intercourse with her. Mayfield has pleaded guilty to production of child pornography charges.
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"HSI is focused on creating safer communities through our investigations. These numbers showcase our significant accomplishments in removing drugs, firearms, and violent gang members from our streets," said Raymond Villanueva, special agent in charge of HSI Washington. "These significant results reflect the dedication and expertise of our agents."
HSI Norfolk, as the federal law enforcement leaders of the Hampton Roads Human Trafficking Task Force, also continued to combat human trafficking in the region. In Fiscal Year 2019, the task force made 36 arrests, prosecuted 11 cases and identified 48 victims.
HSI uses a victim-centered approach in its trafficking investigations, where equal value is placed on the identification and stabilization of victims as the prosecution of the traffickers.
"In Fiscal Year 2019, HSI Norfolk removed more than 100 kilograms of drugs from the streets, arrested child predators who preyed on our community's most vulnerable, and rescued nearly 50 human trafficking victims," said Jim Stitzel, assistant special agent in charge of HSI Norfolk. "The numbers speak for themselves; the work HSI special agents do every day makes Hampton Roads a safer place."
