A collaborative effort among multiple law enforcement agencies spanning across the state of Mississippi has resulted in more than 70 suspects arrested for alleged human and drug trafficking crimes, along with offenses against children.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced during her stump speech at the Neshoba County Fair that a two-week law enforcement initiative coined “Operation Guardian Force” yielded 72 arrests and the rescue of 29 human trafficking victims. The operation was spearheaded by the Attorney General’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force, Fentanyl Strike Force, and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
“My office is committed to taking criminals who traffic people and drugs off the streets, and equally committed to setting victims on the road to recovery,” Fitch said. “I am proud of the dedicated investigators and prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Office, as well as our partners in local, state, and federal law enforcement, for their work on this operation and every day to keep our communities safe.”
Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families joined Mississippi’s attorney general in this campaign. Gradison, who observed the work of the investigative operations, demonstrated that Fitch and the Trump Administration are partners in supporting efforts to end human trafficking and deliver comprehensive victim services.
“And I am grateful to President Trump for making efforts to eradicate human trafficking and fentanyl top priorities. It was an honor to have Acting Assistant Secretary Gradison here to observe the hard work Mississippi’s law enforcement is doing to achieve these same goals,” Fitch said, while Gradison added, “The Trump Administration will partner with anyone who will join us in the fight against human trafficking. I was honored to witness firsthand Attorney General Fitch’s leadership and Mississippi’s effective coordination between law enforcement and victim services to help save lives.”
Operation Guardian Force ran from July 14 through July 29 of this year and featured 400 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers who coordinated search warrants, arrests, and victim services. The operation also included a sex offender compliance check to locate and identify sex offender registry absconders.
The following agencies participated in the initiative:
- Bay St. Louis Police Department
- Biloxi Police Department
- DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office
- Drug Enforcement Administration
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Forrest County Sheriff’s Office
- Harrison County Sheriff’s Office
- Hattiesburg Police Department
- Homeland Security Investigations
- Horn Lake Police Department
- Jackson County Sheriff’s Office
- Jones County Sheriff’s Office
- Lamar County Sheriff’s Office
- Lee County Sheriff’s Office
- Mississippi Bureau of Investigation
- Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics
- Mississippi Department of Revenue
- Alcoholic Beverage Control
- Mississippi Office of Homeland Security
- North MS Narcotics Task Force
- Saltillo Police Department
- Southaven Police Department
- Stone County Sheriff’s Office
- Tunica County Sheriff’s Office
- Tupelo Police Department
- Wayne County Sheriff’s Office
The attorney general further noted that the Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence, the Center for Violence Prevention, and Transformation Garden provided services and treatment to the victims who were rescued during this operation.
