Around 100 potential victims have been identified and 38 people have been arrested in a nationwide crackdown on human trafficking.
The arrests were made as part of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) Project Aidant for a range of crimes including drugs and sexual exploitation involving adults and children.
Investigations targeted a variety of settings, including London Underground and a suspected brothel in east London.
The NCA said that out of those arrested, 18 were for child criminal and drug-related exploitation and 11 were for sexual exploitation. The remainder of the arrests were for a variety of offences including domestic servitude, labour exploitation and general trafficking.
The agency added that although the activities targeted people exploiting children, a number of adult potential victims were also located.
In total 72 children and 27 adults were identified.