Multi-State human trafficking sting frees 59 victims, over one-hundred arrested

Last week, in an undercover human trafficking sting across multiple states, nearly sixty victims of human trafficking were freed and over one hundred arrests were made. 

The sting, named Operation United Front, was coordinated by twelve different states: Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. Although the operation took extensive coordination and training, it spanned only a few days and was executed between August 26 – August 29 (WBKO).

The operation was led by Missouri investigators who helped train forces from other states. Missouri is a national leader in prosecuting traffickers and has a very skilled anti-human trafficking task force. Local, state, and federal authorities were all involved in the operation, as well as the attorney generals from each state.

Previous inter-state trafficking stings have been conducted with great success. According to Kurtz & Blum’s website, a string of operations called named Cross Country I-XI were conducted for a number of years up until 2017. 

Drew Evans, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent, vowed to continue to catch and bring traffickers to justice, and said that their work is not over yet. “The exploitation and repeated victimization of our children, our women and our men must end,” he said.

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron weighed in with a similar sentiment, stating “We know that human trafficking transcends county and state lines, and multistate efforts like Operation United Front are essential to addressing the human trafficking crisis in our communities” (Fox News).

WBKO, a local Kentucky news outlet, reported that Cameron also implemented a program called “Your Eyes Save Lives” earlier this year to help Kentuckians recognize human trafficking and report it when they do.

ARTICLE: ABBY RANCOUR

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE
PHOTO CREDITS: FOX NEWS

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