Belmont County has a population of approximately 66,000 residents, and is located in Western Ohio, about 40 miles from the Pittsburgh, PA metro area. Prostitution and sex trafficking activity have been well-documented in the county. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates result in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses. To combat prostitution and sex trafficking in the area, local law enforcement agencies have targeted consumer-level demand for commercial sex, which provides the revenue stream driving all commercial sex and trafficking.

In June 2015, an investigation into prostitution and sex trafficking led to the arrest of 14 people in Belmont County. Undercover officers from Belmont County’s Major Crimes Task Force conducted a first-of-its-kind operation. Three of the arrested men faced charges including allowing a residence to be used for sex for hire, promoting prostitution, and soliciting another for sexual activity. For more information on demand tactics used in the county, see the city page for Martins Ferry.