The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office announced Monday it has secured its first conviction in a trafficking case involving adult victims, in a case that prosecutors said they hope will lead other sex trafficking victims to come forward.

On Aug. 9, a Philadelphia jury found 50-year-old Richard Collins, of the Kensington section of the city, guilty on charges including four counts of trafficking in individuals, three counts of involuntary servitude and one count of rape. According to prosecutors, the man used drugs to lure five women into his home, where he later forced them into engaging in commercial sex.

At a press conference announcing the conviction Monday morning, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said sex trafficking cases are difficult to prosecute because victims believe if they come forward they will be prosecuted for prostitution or drug possession. However, he said that was not the case, and that he hoped the conviction would show that the office is focused on punishing traffickers, rather than victims.

“We are here to protect you and we are here to make sure that those who traffic you and profit from what you are doing are held appropriately accountable,” he said.

The Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit at the DA’s Office prosecuted the case.

Although Collins’ case marks the first time the office has secured a sex trafficking conviction involving adult victims, the office has prosecuted trafficking cases involving juveniles and previously brought charges in another case involving adults, which did not result in a conviction, according to prosecutors. Law enforcement credited testimony from the trafficking victims as a key part of securing the conviction.

The conviction comes more than two years after city law enforcement launched a new initiative to begin investigating and prosecuting sex trafficking cases. In early 2017, police, prosecutors and other agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Philadelphia, formed a task force aimed specifically at addressing trafficking.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross credited the task force in a statement to press.

“We believe strongly in the value of these multi-tiered collaborative efforts; and we anticipate that outcomes such as this will continue to have an appreciable impact on the safety and quality of life of our city’s residents and visitors,” Ross said.