In a quiet suburban home, far from the horrors they confront, a team gathers. Lane Terzieff, the driving force behind Unit+E, leads a debriefing after a mission into the heart of Asia’s trafficking networks. The room itself tells a story – body armor lining the walls, a stark reminder of the dangers faced, and detailed charts mapping future operations against a ruthless enemy.
Terzieff’s path to this fight wasn’t conventional. Growing up between Washington and Wyoming, he left school early, driven by a restless spirit and a calling to something more. That search led him to Southeast Asia, initially through music, but soon confronted him with a darkness he couldn’t ignore – the brutal reality of human suffering in places like Burma.
Accompanying the Free Burma Rangers, Terzieff witnessed firsthand the devastation of war and the vulnerability of displaced people. The experience shattered him, revealing a profound humanitarian crisis ignored by larger organizations. He felt a deep resonance with the biblical call to liberate the oppressed, a conviction that would define his life’s work.
He realized a critical gap existed – a need for direct intervention where others couldn’t or wouldn’t go. This realization sparked the creation of Unit+E, an organization dedicated to disrupting trafficking networks and rescuing victims. The mission, as Terzieff succinctly puts it, is to make evil profoundly inconvenient.
The scope of the problem is staggering. In the Philippines, an estimated half a million children were trafficked in a single year to create horrific child sexual exploitation material. Livestreamed abuse, fueled by payments originating largely from the United States, has turned the nation into a central hub for this depravity. Children, some as young as six, are ensnared by family members and trapped in a nightmare.
Across Burma, Cambodia, and Laos, a different form of exploitation thrives: forced labor within massive online scam compounds. Over 300,000 people, from more than 60 countries, are held captive, generating billions in illicit profits. These compounds, often hidden in border regions, operate like prisons, confining workers and extracting labor through coercion and violence.
Recruitment is a cruel deception, promising legitimate jobs in technology or marketing. Victims, often educated and multilingual, are lured with false promises, then stripped of their freedom, their documents, and their hope. Days stretch into 17-hour work shifts, guarded by armed enforcers, with escape met with brutal punishment.
The scams themselves are diverse and devastating – cryptocurrency fraud, romance schemes, and cybercrime – all orchestrated by sophisticated criminal networks. These operations are resilient, utilizing advanced technology to evade authorities and continue their exploitation even when utilities are cut off.
The image of a hardened commando infiltrating these networks is misleading. Unit+E’s team is comprised of ordinary individuals, lacking traditional military or law enforcement backgrounds. Their strength lies in intelligence gathering and a willingness to confront evil, even at personal risk. They are driven by a profound commitment to those they serve.
“Sometimes we don’t have all the best contingency plans,” Terzieff admits, “But God says go and be willing to lay down your life for your brothers and sisters.” This isn’t mere rhetoric; it’s a deeply held belief that fuels their courage, a willingness to face the unknown for the sake of those trapped in darkness.
Jordan Guerrero, a volunteer recently returned from a mission, articulates the core of their motivation. He speaks of bearing the weight of sin, mirroring Christ’s sacrifice, and finding a small reflection of that divine love in the act of rescuing others. It’s a willingness to suffer alongside the victims, to share their pain.
Guerrero’s realization during a recent mission is particularly poignant: the comfort they enjoy isn’t for themselves, but a blessing to be shared with those who have none. This selfless perspective shapes their actions, driving them forward even when resources are scarce and the path is unclear.
Unit+E doesn’t operate in isolation. They collaborate with law enforcement and leverage expertise from former military personnel, but their strength lies in deploying individuals from diverse civilian backgrounds. They also provide aid to communities cut off from traditional assistance, extending their reach beyond counter-trafficking operations.
Their focus is sharp: prepubescent child sex trafficking and cases involving severe abuse, regardless of age or origin. Terzieff emphasizes that every victim deserves rescue, whether a young girl forced into exploitation or a 35-year-old man enslaved by forced labor. Even the perpetrators of online scams have victims, and Unit+E recognizes the interconnectedness of the problem.
Terzieff connects the seemingly distant world of online scams to the suffering of individuals like a 21-year-old Filipino woman lured by a false job offer, then imprisoned and forced to participate in criminal activity. He highlights the human cost behind every fraudulent text message.
Unit+E prioritizes action over bureaucracy, embracing a “bias for action” despite limited resources. This often means focusing intensely on individual cases, rescuing one victim at a time. Terzieff believes that even a single rescue is worth everything, and can serve as a catalyst for broader legal change.
They partner with organizations to leverage rescued victims’ cases to influence legislation across Europe, combating sex offenders and tightening travel regulations. But even rescuing one five-year-old girl, Terzieff insists, is a victory in itself.
Ultimately, Terzieff believes Christians have a moral imperative to confront the world’s most tragic issues, guided by the principles of love and compassion found in the Bible. He envisions a world where faith inspires action, and where the vulnerable are protected from exploitation.
