A southern city, Charlotte N.C., is emerging as a human trafficking hotspot due to its convergence of highways, demand for cheap agricultural labor and gang activity. Data found 106 minors were trafficked in Charlotte last year, about half of whom were aged 15 or younger. This was nearly double the 45 to 60 children identified annually between 2018 and 2022, figures from the city's Metro Human Trafficking Task Force showed. Statewide, the National Human Trafficking Hotline (NCTH) recorded 301 human‑trafficking cases in North Carolina in 2024, involving 580 victims. The vast majority of last year’s cases were sex trafficking, but...