As we’ve reported in the past, global slavery is still very real and it is at an all time high. Modern-day slaves (mostly women and children) are moved throughout the world the world in a practice known as human trafficking, which is a multi-billion dollar industry. Most of the world’s slaves are sex slaves, but there is a percentage that are forced into domestic-type work . An odd human trafficking case coming out of Kentucky would be categorized as the latter, it would seem.

Police in Lawrenceburg arrested Rhonda Bell, 32, of Louisville. WDRB reports:

According to an arrest report, Bell forced nine juveniles, who ranged in age from 9 to 16, to sell peppermint thin cookies “using fraud and coercion.”

Police say the juveniles sold the cookies to local residents for a non-existent organization and that Bell made a profit.

Is human trafficking too heavy a charge or what Ronda Bell allegedly did? It does seem like she’s a scammer. However, the report doesn’t go any further to see if she was intimidating or abusing her child cookie peddlers. Usually, human trafficking involves the psychological and physical abuse of victims, who live in inhumane conditions. We’ll definitely be keeping a close eye on this story, but if you have a street sales team comprised of kids (selling candy, water, etc.), please take notice.

Read more about modern-day global slavery and human trafficking.