Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced Monday the completion of two multi-jurisdictional human trafficking operations during the month of October in Hattiesburg and on the Coast that resulted in 18 victim recoveries and three arrests.
“Through operations like these, we are doing more than capturing predators,” said Fitch. “We are offering victims the bright beacon of hope and truth. Each and every one of these individuals is worthy of freedom and dignity, and there are countless men and women across the state dedicated to fighting for them. Today, we celebrate the pathway to freedom these 18 individuals have started to walk, but more importantly, we reaffirm our resolve to find and rescue those still trapped. My message for human trafficking victims is this: we will not give up on you.”
The Attorney General’s Office, in coordination with the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office, Stone County Sheriff’s Office, Columbia Police Department, Gautier Police Department, and Mississippi Department of Revenue Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), ran an operation in Hattiesburg from October 24 to October 26, 2023, that resulted in two arrests and 6 victim contacts, and an operation in Jackson County from October 31 to November 2, 2023, that resulted in one arrest and 12 victim contacts.
In the past two years, the Attorney General’s multi-jurisdictional human trafficking operations have led to the rescue of 312 victims and 81 arrests.
