. >> msnbc goes undercover for a closer look at life and death in the deadly game of sex for sale. >> people are closing their eyes. open your eyes. before it's your child. >>> today in detroit on street corners and on the internet, selling sex to strangers has become a deadly proposition. >> recently there have been two separate incidences where two young ladies in each incident have been discovered deceased in vehicles on the east side of detroit. >> we have four homicides of which a serial pattern is developing. >> the first set of women were found on december 19th, dead in the trunk of a car on promenade street on detroit's east side. >> investigators now believe three of the victims may have met their killer online in the adult services section of the website backpage.com. >> this tie for us is disconcerting. >> it's alarming. and obviously, women in the city of detroit, you know, were very concerned. >> the murders are a brutal reminder of the constant danger and fear that stalks girls and young women every single day they work in the underground sex trade. >> this is a dangerou

msnbc goes undercover with michigan's human trafficking task force.

msnbc goes undercover with michigan's human trafficking task force. >> hey, are you taping me? >> for a sobering look at the overwhelming power of drug addiction in the business of sex for sale. >> i thought that i could just do it once and stop. >> it's a growing epidemic that can touch anyone, even the all american girl next door. >> this is going to sound crazy, but it's not that hard to go once you're using drugs from the point "a" to point "b" of selling yourself. think about it, how are you going to get that much money daily when your addiction is out of control and you're using so much of it? how are you going to get that money every day? ♪ >> it's a saturday night in detroit, and the city is jumping. the local economy is finally on the rebound, and people are out on the streets again looking to celebrate and have a good time. to some, that means buying a woman for sex. >> hey, it's sanchez. >> state trooper richard sanchez is part of the michigan human trafficking task force. >> they say my girl is walking the track right now by telegraph and graham river and what she's

. >> narrator: tonight msnbc goes undercover with the fbi in michigan rescuing the young and the lost caught in the grip of sex slavery in the motor city. ♪ >>> tonight we visit the streets and suburbs of detroit, michigan, joining the fbi, state and local police as part of cross country five. a nationwide dragnet to crack down on those who exploit juveniles in the sex trade. in the process, we came across the destroyed lives often left in the wake of human trafficking. >> thanks, everybody, for coming out. as you know, today is the kickoff for operation cross country five. >> how are these undercover investigations initiated? >> oftentimes there's a number of different web portless that we use -- >> today much of the underground sex trade has moved off the street corners and on to the intern internet. >> is this kim? >> investigators begin by browsing online ads and setting up dates. >> calling to see if i could get company. >> juveniles will never be listed as underage, so police keep their eyes open for girls who look younger than 18. >> these are runaways that we'll make the team

. >> tonight msnbc goes undercover with oakland's human trafficking task force as they battle to rescue the young and the lost. and turn the tables on the johns and the pimps that take advantage of america's children. >> what's going on? i'm on tv. ♪ >>> just across the bay from the glitter of san francisco lies the rough-and-tumble port city of oakland. with ships and cargo constantly coming and going, blue-collar oaktown has become a hot spot for a different sort of trade. human trafficking. >> arrest teams. two girls westbound. >> oakland, california has unfortunately been identified by the fbi as a hub for human trafficking and specifically the sexual exploitation of children. >> sergeant holly joshi is part of the oakland police department's human trafficking task force. >> the fact that we've been identified by the fbi as a hub is very disturbing to all of us in this city. and even though we do have budget challenges, we have made it a priority to, you know, get out there and run these operations on a weekly basis. >> we just kind of combine resources to get by. >> sergeant jim sa

now back to msnbc "undercover." >>> it's nightfall on a busy tenderloin corner.first-name basis with most of the transgender prostitutes. >> this track here is a transgender track unfortunately. unfortunately they aren't in a position where they can get jobs and stuff. they are forced to do this. it is a crime. it affects the neighborhood. it affects the people living around here. when it affects them, we as a police department have to enforce the laws. >> this is close to the hub of union square. >> talk to the guy in the black jacket. >> business is booming and the decoy quickly gets a hit. >> they are going to go to her place. they are going to go to her place. >> has she given the signal yet? >> we're good. we're good. >> the team corners the john, who turns out to be a tourist. >> sir, police. police. just relax. don't do anything stupid. take your hands out of your pocket. put your hands behind your back. that girl you're talking to is a police officer, okay? you're under arrest for soliciting prostitution. >> i don't understand. i'm not -- >> i'll talk slo

back to msnbc undercover. >>> if you come to polk koebt florida looking to buy or sell sex, chances arethat you will get a personal tour of the county jail. and if you're lucky, you may even get to meet the sheriff in person. >> welcome to polk county. >> one thing's for sure in this jurisdiction, you will never know when the woman you're buying or the man you're soliciting is actually an undercover cop. this undercover is in contact with a woman who calls herself nickie and advertises that she is ready to play. it's 8:45 when she arrives and makes her way up to the sting room. while nickie and the undercover make small talk, a would be john arrives at the hotel creating an all too common traffic problem for investigators. >> there's a white male with dark pants walking to the front. >> all right. you might have a couple on top of each other. >> this would be john is unusually cautious. before committing himself, he stops outside the room and listens through the door. >> do we have charges on him? >> we can only assume that what he hears through the door is enough to rattle him and scar

back to msnbc undercover. >> kat french and dottie laster experts in the rescue and reh rehabilitationhe entire week. >> i stay motivated when these aren't successful or we have setbacks because you just can't lose hope. as long as you've got hope, you've got momentum and you've got possibility. ♪ ♪ the team sets up their next operation at a motel near houst houston's airport. >> it looks nice and after dark pretty much anything happens. >> we had no idea it was going to be so busy out there. >> i saw your ad in the back page, and he had trouble scheduling them. can i meet you tonight? >> she's on the line with somebody. >> we were desperate, actually, everybody got on a phone and after 20 calls we had two respond. >> all right. no problem. bye. >> once again, to capture these encounters, hidden cameras are used to gain a glimpse into the dark underworld of trapped and trafficked sex slaves. this meeting was with a young woman who calls herself asia. >> oh, hey. >> hello. >> what's going on? >> hey. sorry for the pretense. >> it's okay. >> we need your help with something. >> what? tha

. >>> now we'll take you back to msnbc "undercover." >>> in san francisco you would be hard pressed to understands johns better than inspector deceive ravella. -- inspector steve ravella. >> they'll be getting out of the van. >> for the last decade, his team put names and faces to the anonymous men who perpetuated the exploitation of the vulnerable. >> another confirmation that the wire is working. >> with all units in position, the undercover decoy works the evening's first stroll. >> a good little spot. you can see her. when the lights are on above her. >> within moments, a man approaches the undercover. >> the guy in the black beanie, white shirt, black vest, black pants. a male in his 40s. >> they're walking together. >> no signal yet. >> not yet. >> she's following him to a liquor store. >> i got her. still talking. no signal yet. >> there it is. good signal. >> i'm going to open the door. >> the window, the window. >> i can't -- >> put the bag down. put the bag down. get up, stand up, stand up. you want to go down? relax your hand. don't tense up. all right. stand up, stand up, s

back to msnbc undercover. >>> deal's done.in. >> in san francisco on this john sting, most of those arrested tonight are married or in committed relationships. >> turn around and face the car when you step out. >> 27-year-old is no different. in fact, he's driving his girlfriend's car. >> we're going to transport him back in the van. >> come on. >> with no previous criminal history, perez will opt to attend john school, but he's about to learn that buying a woman may have jeopardized his immigration status as well as his relationship. just a few weeks after his bust, perez finds himself here, waiting outside the sfpd on a saturday morning along with other johns caught in the nighttime dragnets. with heads hung low, first time offenders hide their faces in shame and file in one by one to attend the 8-hour john school. >> thank you so much. >> we see perez early on. >> good morning. id please. >> i along with my colleagues prosecute these kinds of offices. i'm going to be the first one to tell you how easy these are to prove. >>

back to to msnbc "undercover." >>> on a warm night in central florida, investigators with the polk countyriff's office are working undercover, advertising sex for sale. >> what are you looking for? hour, half-hour? >> it's about 10:45 p.m. when this undercover gets a call back from a would-be john. >> do what? >> he says he's in the parking lot, and he wants her to come down and meet him in his car. >> i feel like i conduct business out there, i feel like i'm walking out meeting up with some dude in a car. you know? that makes me nervous. i'm saying, you can come to my room. if you don't like it, you can leave. like you don't have to stay. >> from their positions outside, police watch the man exit his vehicle and enter the hotel. >> yeah, he's walking toward the front door now. and he is fixing to enter the building. >> inside, surveillance cameras follow the man into the lobby, but he does not go up to the room. instead, he places yet another call to the undercover asking her once again to meet him downstairs. >> are you saying you would come up to my room after i talk to you in the lob?

. >> tonight, msnbc returns to the sunshine state and goes undercover with the polk county human trafficking task force. >> we're not here just to put people in jail, we're here to rescue people that need to be rescued. >> don't have to ruin my life. >> it doesn't have to ruin your life. you're the only person that can change that, it's you. >> what do you want people to know about young women who are selling themselves? >> we're not all whores. there's people out there that really need help. and there really is nowhere else to go. ♪ >> it's a friday afternoon on the outskirts of orlando, florida, and payday is a red-letter day for people in the business of sex for sale. >> looking for a little room service. can you come tonight? >> investigators with the polk county sheriff's office are set up in a hotel conducting a human trafficking sting. male undercovers browse the internet looking for sex ads on websites like backpage and booking dates with women. >> you got your girlfriend with you, satellite. >> yeah. i'd really like it meet you. >> meanwhile, female undercovers create phony sex ads