Lexington is a town of approximately 24,000 residents, located in Lexington County, South Carolina. It is the county seat and largest town is Lexington County. Prostitution and sex trafficking have been well-documented problems in the city and surrounding communities. Additionally, Lexington has seen several instances of sex trafficking of minors and forced prostitution of minors. Among the tactics used to combat sexual exploitation are those targeting consumer level demand for prostitution and sex trafficking.

In May 2022, a large scale sting was conducted focusing on apprehending individuals seeking to sexually exploit children. An undercover operation led to the arrest of 11 men in the Midlands, according to a a Lexington County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) press release. Officers posed as underage teenagers and the suspects messaged them through social media apps. After the suspect asked to meet with ‘the child,’ detectives were staged at a predetermined meeting spot to arrest them. The LCSO served as the host agency for the operation and collaborated with the LPD and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. According to the information publicly released, most of the men were profiled as sex offenders rather than sex buyers, and were not charged with soliciting prostitution. One of the men was charged with “promoting the prostitution of a minor” along with two counts of second-degree attempted criminal sexual conduct with a minor, and evidently sought to purchase sex. The identities of all the arrested men were publicly disclosed.