Mississippi Authorities Arrest Three in Human Trafficking Case

Mississippi authorities have arrested three people at a casino property in the state, believing them to have been involved in a human trafficking case. The operation took place in mid-April and saw several tribal and state agencies join forces to crack down on the illegal operation and arrest the perpetrators.

The law enforcement action was led by agencies from the Choctaw Police Department, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Office of Justice Services (OJS), Division of Drug Enforcement (DDE) and the Neshoba County Sheriff’s Office.

The operation saw authorities investigate the Golden Moon Hotel and Casino in Mississippi and sought to identify and free victims of human trafficking. The various agencies successfully conducted the operation on April 12-13, 2024, leading to the arrests of three people.

Three People Were Arrested, Illegal Drugs Were Seized

According to the authorities, one female victim was involved in prostitution.

During the operation, law enforcement agencies arrested one man for a child pornography case. The same man is also a suspect in a juvenile sexual assault case, reports say. Additionally, the police arrested another person for possession of crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

Speaking of drugs, the police seized a gram of methamphetamine, three grams of powder cocaine, 31 grams of crack cocaine and 10 grams of marijuana. In addition to that, the authorities seized two firearms and two mobile devices.

According to the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, the operation was conducted successfully and without incidents.

The operation was successful in having the law enforcement agencies to work together conducting the operation covertly without incidents and in the number of firearms seized from the casino and types of arrests made will have an impact on the communities, with the safety of officers/agents combined.

Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians statement

Speaking of human trafficking, the AGA released an updated gaming-specific toolkit for combating human trafficking earlier this year. Around the same time, Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming reiterated their commitment to setting a new standard for such training in the gaming industry.