DETROIT (WXYZ) — "There was violence in there if they didn’t do what they were supposed to do."
That's how Lt. Mike Shaw with Michigan State Police describes the conditions seven women were living under at a home on Hartwell Street in Detroit.
The Second District Trafficking Abduction Group (TAG), raided it Monday night.
Shaw said the victims inside; "They weren’t allowed to have phones. They weren’t allowed to have ID. They couldn’t leave the house on their own. They had certain quotas they had to reach as far as money from each day or else they were beaten."
According to Shaw, the women were victims of human trafficking. And they weren't all police found Monday night. In total police raided three houses on the street, in one of them they discovered a 105mm projectile that they say was secured for destruction.
18 people were arrested Monday and questioned through the night. On Tuesday four male suspects remain in custody.
"It’s really important to know that a lot of these victims are runaways," said Shaw. "We see a lot of girls and boys that run away from home, end up feeling sad or looking for attention, these pimps give them that attention at first."
Shaw said it's common for predators to purposefully get victims addicted to opioids if they aren't already.
He said the victims in this case were addicted which was being used against them.
One victim shared with police that she was forced to respond to three different names while living in the home, and when she didn't answer to one, she was beaten.
In this case, police learned about the human trafficking operation during questioning at a car theft complaint the prior week; However, Shaw said they almost always learn of these crimes through tips.
He asked that if you see something, please say something, "You may be the person that saves those types of victims and may be the one that helped these ladies even before we became aware of it."
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is reviewing this case for charges.
