A 15-year-old was saved from human trafficking during a traffic stop by Louisiana State Police earlier this month. 

The individual had been sexually exploited for some time and was being transported from Houston to Louisiana for human trafficking when found by police officers, ABC 13 reported.

After discovering the 15-year-old, police were led to the arrest of three individuals connected to the trafficking: Terry Williams and Infiniti Williams of Kingwood and Areona Ardoin of Alexandria, Louisiana. All three were charged with human trafficking and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

The arrest and discovery come after the greater Houston area was reported as the most-prolific U.S. locale in human trafficking cases a few years ago.

A 2016 report by The University of Texas at Austin’s Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault claimed that approximately 79,000 minors and youth are being victimized by sex trafficking within Texas. Additionally, roughly 234,000 workers are victims of labor trafficking and approximately 313,000 victims of human trafficking are currently in Texas. 

The report states that labor traffickers exploit approximately $600 million from their victims. 

“The United States Department of State considers human trafficking a form of modern-day slavery and broadly defines it as when a person is deceived or coerced in situations of prostitution, forced labor, or domestic servitude,” according to the report.

While human trafficking can be used to refer to sex or labor trafficking, domestically or internationally, trafficking always involves forcing individuals into situations they have not chosen freely or been able to reject or escape from. 

Trafficking is particularly challenging in Texas, where many immigrants arrive in search of work. These migrant workers may easily be taken advantage of, as they do not understand their rights and are often unable to or afraid of reporting mistreatment for fear that they may be deported, the report states.