By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett says the recent human trafficking bust in St. Joseph is an example of how law enforcement agencies working together can make a real difference.
Puett says the joint effort worked smoothly during the bust.
“We had judges ready to review search warrants. We had members of the sheriff’s office, obviously the (St. Joseph) police department, the highway patrol, Kansas City Police Department, Springfield Police Department, victim advocate groups, there was somebody from Probation and Parole there. It was a huge effort,” Puett says of the February 5th operation.
The Missouri Attorney General’s Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force supervised the operation.
The crackdown focused on two St. Joseph truck stops: Bucky’s Express and Love’s Travel Stop.
Law enforcement officers arrested three people with other arrests pending.
Puett says human trafficking busts also seek to help victims.
“And they brought a medical team in from Joplin and some officers from Springfield to work on these girls that are being trafficked into our community and try to get them some help,” Puett says.
Law enforcement rescued eight victims, two of whom were children, one an infant. The victims have been provided food, lodging, medical treatment, counseling, and drug rehabilitation.