Tacoma man, others arrested after human trafficking bust at I-5 truck stop
Washington State Patrol arrested a Tacoma man along with close to a dozen individuals involved in human trafficking on Nov. 25 as part of a collaborative overnight operation at a Pierce County truck stop, according to a WSP press release.
The multi-agency effort referred to as “Operation Human Freight” was created to help identify victims of human trafficking and prostitution after the WSP’s Commercial Vehicle Division observed related activity near Pierce, King and Snohomish County truck stops.
According to the release, detectives established a base of operations at a northern Pierce County truck stop near Interstate 5 the evening of Nov. 25. Officers came in contact with 11 women determined to be victims of human trafficking within eight hours.
This led to the arrest of a 41-year-old Tacoma man who has 19 prior felony convictions, the release said. He was booked into the Pierce County Jail on suspicion of human trafficking and promoting prostitution.
Detectives arrested and booked other suspects in the operation on suspicion of second degree trafficking, promoting prostitution in the first and second degree as well as driving under the influence, according to the release.
Advocates from the FBI and Kitsap County were on the scene to provide resources and contact information to the victims.
This was a collaborative effort involving the help of many agencies including the Tacoma Police Department, Lakewood Police Department, Puyallup Police Department and Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office.
