Mebane is a city of approximately 18,000 located mostly in Alamance County, North Carolina, and partly in Orange County, North Carolina. Prostitution, sex trafficking, and child sexual abuse material are well-documented problems in the city. For example, in November 2018, two women were arrested and charged with prostitution after an investigation prompted by complaints from the community. The Mebane Police Department and an undercover investigator from the N.C. Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy investigated a day spa on Mebane Oaks Road on suspicion of offering illegal services to customers. In 2019, the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office announced a major crackdown on human trafficking and prostitution, resulting in the arrest of 28 people. The arrests occurred during the three-day operation known as “End of Summer.” Assisting the Sheriff’s Office were officers from the Burlington Police Department, Mebane Police Department, Winston-Salem Police Department, the SBI, and Homeland Security.

Among the efforts to address such problems are demand-reduction operations. For example, in July 2020, the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office and their partners conducted another summer sting that resulted in the arrests of 21 people from all over the state. The investigation, titled “Operation Summer Heat,” intended to target issues posed by human trafficking. Sheriff Terry Johnson commented on the prevalence of the problem, stating that “human trafficking isn’t just a county or state issue: it’s nationwide.” In February 2021, another web-based reverse sting resulted in the arrest of 13 people, including sex buyers.