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This past Sunday, Seattle man Winston Burt was arrested; the arrest happened on multiple charges of promoting prostitution, kidnapping, assault, carrying out a drive-by shooting, and also human trafficking.

Burt gained notoriety in the sex trade under the moniker of Dice Capone.

He likewise earned a reputation for trafficking multiple women. In fact, when Seattle police took Burt into custody, he lived with multiple women involved in his human trafficking efforts.

Benjamin Gauen, the senior deputy prosecutor on the case, expressed at length the crimes Burt has committed. Per Gauen's account, the Seattle man ran a "sex trafficking enterprise" across multiple states.

The women whom Burt trafficked were forced to get tattoos with his moniker on them. He likewise subjected these women to beatings, pistol whippings, unlawful imprisonment, etc.

The senior deputy prosecutor then explained that Burt would have his victims bring in $2,000 per day by selling them. With this money, the trafficker splurged on jewelry, cars, and real estate for himself.

Gauen also cautioned that the work of Seattle police is far from over. While the investigation remains ongoing, the negative impacts of Burt and other human traffickers, along with their buyers, still linger on.

Desperation to escape from Burt

Many people abstractly think of human trafficking as horrific, which it is. Though far fewer take the time to truly and purposefully consider the horrors that victims of trafficking go through.

In the same case in Seattle, one 20-year-old woman was so desperate to escape from Burt that she leaped from a third-story window.

After recapture, this young woman fled again. This time, she got assistance from an Uber driver who found her on a highway and then transported her to receive the necessary medical care.

A call to action

It is imperative for people to wake up and understand the gravity of human trafficking. It is also important for all community members to come together, raise awareness, and fight back against this evil.

Many in the law enforcement community are doing this nationwide. This is apparent via different sting operations held by police to consequently catch traffickers and their buyers.

Though given the stats that show so many victims of human trafficking have yet to be rescued, much more work remains ahead.

Anyone who wishes to report what they believe to be human trafficking can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline via phone at 1 (888) 373-7888 or by text at 233733.