MINNEAPOLIS _ An investigation conducted over four days during the Final Four resulted in the arrests of 58 people for attempting to solicit children for sex or for trafficking, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Of those arrested, eight of the people arrested were from out of state, said BCA Superintendent Drew Evans.
Suspects chatted on several social media platforms with undercover agents and investigators who posed as minors or as sex buyers, and then were arrested when they arrived at an arranged meeting place for an encounter.
Among the arrested were 47 people booked on probable cause of felony solicitation of a minor or solicitation of prostitution under the age of 16. Another 11 people were booked on probable cause of sex trafficking and promotion of prostitution. Some 28 victims were rescued from trafficking situations, including one minor.
"It really illustrates that when law enforcement works collaboratively we can work to drive down this type of crime, and that Minnesota does not tolerate trafficking in the state," Evans said in an interview.
The operation was conducted by personnel from 33 criminal justice agencies and was part of a human trafficking task force led by the BCA that includes investigators from the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Buffalo police departments, the Anoka and Hennepin County Sheriff's offices, Homeland Security Investigations and the Ramsey County Attorney's Office.
"The results of the Final Four human trafficking operation remind us that we must continue to identify and aid the victims, arrest and prosecute the offenders, and continue to educate the public on ways to assist law enforcement in the prevention of human trafficking," Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts said in a statement.
