11 people arrested in St. Paul sex trafficking investigation
Eleven people were arrested in St. Paul on felony charges for attempting to solicit minors or promoting prostitution.
The arrests stem from an undercover investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force and the St. Paul Police Department on July 27 and 28.
Agents posed as minors or sex buyers and talked to suspects online during the operation and arrested them at the arranged meeting place for an encounter, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Four victims were recovered from trafficking situations.
Ten people are facing felony charges for solicitation of a minor for sex and one person is facing a felony charge for promotion of prostitution.
“We are committed to helping Minnesota’s trafficking victims escape the reprehensible actions of those who would buy or sell them for sex,” BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said in a statement. “Our predatory crimes agents will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and advocates to end this terrible crime in Minnesota.”
The 11 suspects are being held at the Ramsey County Jail. Charges are expected in the next few days.
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