Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the St. Joseph, Missouri, police department announced Saturday that they completed a successful human trafficking operation late Friday night at two travel stops.
Schmitt’s office said in a news release that the officials conducted the operation at the Love’s Travel Stop and Bucky’s Travel Plaza in St. Joseph.
Police said the joint operation resulted in three arrests, with an additional arrest pending, and the rescue of eight human trafficking victims.
Five of the victims were women, and one was a man. The other two victims were children, a two-year-old and an infant, KFVS reported.
KCTV reported that the victims were offered food, counseling, drug rehabilitation, medical services, and lodging.
Sixteen different agencies participated in the human trafficking operation.
“This operation was successful because of cooperation between my Office, the St. Joseph Police Department, the state highway patrol, the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office, and 13 other agencies and departments,” Schmitt said in a statement.
“This unprecedented success should send clear a message to traffickers: you are not welcome in Missouri, and you can’t hide any longer,” he added.
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