BILOXI – Mississippi participated in a nationwide human trafficking operation spanning 30 states that led to four arrests and the recovery of three victims in Biloxi, according to Attorney General Lynn Fitch.
Fitch said the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force led the state’s role in Operation Coast to Coast, which was conducted April 23.
Nationally, the operation involved more than 250 law enforcement agencies and resulted in 59 arrests and the recovery of 166 victims, including 12 minors, according to the attorney general’s office.
“My office is committed to taking criminals who traffic people off our streets and equally committed to setting victims on the road to recovery,” Fitch said in a statement. “Developing partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies both within Mississippi and across the country is a priority for the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office.”
The attorney general’s office said agencies involved in Mississippi included the Biloxi Police Department, FBI, Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and Mississippi Gaming Commission.
The Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence provided services and treatment to the victims recovered during the operation, according to the attorney general’s office.
Operation Coast to Coast began in 2024 as an initiative of the Human Trafficking Training Center to encourage a broader national response to human trafficking, officials said.
The attorney general’s office said it has now trained 588 law enforcement officers statewide. It also said the office’s human trafficking team has led 63 multi-jurisdictional operations resulting in the recovery of 390 victims and 204 arrests, along with additional leads tied to trafficking investigations.
