The Boulder County District Attorney’s Office is stepping up its efforts to investigate and prosecute sex trafficking, adding a second human trafficking investigator and focusing on cases involving minors who are coerced into sex acts, often in exchange for drugs.
The expansion reflects a growing number of trafficking cases in the county and a shift in how local authorities are prioritizing the issue. According to District Attorney Michael Dougherty, the increase in prosecutions — 15 since 2020, up from just two in the five years prior — is less about a rise in crime and more about greater investment in identifying and pursuing these cases.
“I think our ability to root out these human traffickers who focus on and prey on, particularly on young people, has gotten much better over time,” Dougherty said. “I don’t necessarily think we’ve seen a rise in human trafficking.”
The DA’s office hired its first human trafficking investigator in 2021 with grant funding. When the grant expired, county commissioners agreed to keep funding the position. In November 2024, the office added a second investigator to the team by reallocating internal resources.
These specialists not only investigate cases but also train local police on how to identify early warning signs of trafficking. This collaboration, Dougherty said, has led to earlier detection and intervention.
Much of the team’s work happens online, especially on platforms like Snapchat, where investigators say traffickers often first make contact with victims.
In one recent case, a man pleaded guilty to providing drugs and vapes to middle and high school students in exchange for money and sex acts. All 13 underage victims had been contacted over social media, according to Dougherty.
How it starts: social media, drugs and coercion
Investigators told Boulder Reporting Lab many trafficking cases begin with minors searching online for marijuana or nicotine vapes. On platforms like Snapchat, drug dealers may encourage minors to pay with a sex act, or push harder drugs — and when they can’t pay, suggest sex acts as a form of payment. In some cases, kids promote accounts where others can get free drugs by exchanging sex, investigators said.
One county investigator, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the work, said traffickers often build rapport with teens by exploiting personal details they share online.
Educating teens and supporting families
The human trafficking team offers trainings in local schools, teaching students how to protect themselves. Key messages include: don’t follow or friend strangers online, turn off location services on social apps, and think twice before meeting someone in person they’ve only met virtually.
Parents, Dougherty said, also play a critical role.
“Don’t make it too easy for your kids to get in trouble, but don’t make it too hard for them to get out of trouble,” he said.
He urges parents to view an admission of risky behavior — such as buying marijuana or sending a nude photo — as a potential signal of something deeper.
“That could be the kid crying out for help,” he said. “That first reaction might be the key to getting the kid to open up and share what’s actually happened.”
The DA’s office emphasizes that victims will not face prosecution for drug use or possession. And while Snapchat is designed to erase messages, Dougherty said investigators can often recover deleted content with a warrant.
A blocked legislative effort
The rise in trafficking prosecutions in Boulder County comes amid stalled efforts at the state level to regulate how social media platforms handle exploitation.
Senate Bill 86 would have required large platforms to remove flagged accounts tied to sex trafficking or exploitation involving minors, drug sales or weapons dealing. It also would have required them to set up law enforcement hotlines and publish annual reports on minors’ usage of their platforms.
Gov. Jared Polis vetoed the bill over free speech and privacy concerns. Though a veto override passed the Senate, the House declined to pass the override. Had it passed, it would have marked the first veto override since 2011.
Labor trafficking struggles
While all of Boulder County’s trafficking cases have involved sex crimes, Dougherty said he believes labor trafficking — where people are coerced into work under threat or fraud — is even more widespread, but harder to investigate. “I think it’s still an area for growth,” he said.
These cases often lack the clear digital evidence that helps in sex trafficking investigations, and victims may decline to testify, particularly if they’re undocumented or have already been paid after filing a complaint.
To that end, Dougherty’s office supported a recent wage theft bill and pushed to change the state’s extortion statute, making it a felony to threaten workers with immigration consequences. With these changes, “I think we’ll see more of those cases as we move forward,” he said.
If you or someone you know is experiencing trafficking or exploitation, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
