72 arrests made in Mississippi human trafficking operation

Date:2025-08-01 01:38:36 Category:US Views:2 Comment:0

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A two-week statewide law enforcement effort resulted in 72 arrests and the recovery of 29 human trafficking victims, according to Attorney General Lynn Fitch (R-Miss.).

Operation Guardian Force was led by the Attorney General’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force, Fentanyl Strike Force, and Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.

According to Fitch, the operation ran from July 14 to July 29, 2025, and worked in partnership with 400 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers to effectively coordinate search warrants, arrests, and victim services. She said the operation also included a sex offender compliance check to locate and identify sex offender registry absconders.

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The following agencies participated:

Bay St. Louis Police Department
Biloxi Police Department
Desoto County Sheriff’s Office
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Forrest County Sheriff’s Office
Harrison County Sheriff’s Office
Hattiesburg Police Department
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
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 (MBI)
Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (MBN)
Mississippi Department of Revenue – Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC)
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

In addition to law enforcement partners, the Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence, Center for Violence Prevention, and Transformation Garden provided services and treatment to the victims.

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