23 arrested after raid at 4 hotels near Minneapolis over suspected sex trafficking
Authorities arrested more than 20 people and seized firearms and drugs during a large operation at four hotels near Minneapolis, Minnesota, targeting suspected sex trafficking, prostitution, drug activity and violent crime, according to officials.
Police carried out 31 court-authorized search warrants Wednesday in Brooklyn Center, a Minneapolis suburb, including warrants at the Travel Lodge and Super 8 hotels and one each at the Baymont and Suburban Studios, according to the Brooklyn Center Police Department.
The operation resulted in 23 arrests and the recovery of seven firearms. Investigators also recovered about 1.5 pounds of drugs and nearly $9,000 in cash.
The suspected offenses include promotion of prostitution, sex trafficking, drug possession and manufacturing, and possession of firearms by prohibited persons, though officials said that the preliminary arrest grounds do not apply to every person taken into custody and may not reflect final charges.
The investigation began about a year ago and expanded after detectives found links to other cases. Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt said an analyst became involved after a sexual assault investigation at one of the hotels in May 2025 and identified a possible pattern of human trafficking.
From Jan. 1, 2025, through Aug. 27, the Super 8 generated about 1,300 police calls and the Travel Lodge about 975. Officials said they were the two locations in Brooklyn Center that generated the most calls for police service.
The properties were linked to 246 arrests, including 15 for violent crimes, and 53 calls involving assaults, robberies, shootings, sex crimes and weapons offenses.
Police also responded to more than 100 reported overdoses at the two hotels, accounting for about 24% of all reported overdoses in the city during that period.
More than 250 people, including seven SWAT teams, took part in Wednesday’s operation. No members of the public, hotel guests, officers or other personnel were reported injured.
Advocates, housing providers, medical personnel and other victim-support resources were also deployed after investigators made contact with people who reported being trafficked.
Asked whether hotel owners or managers could be implicated, Brooklyn Center Police Chief Garett Flesland said the investigation remains active and that “no stone’s going to be left unturned.”
The post 23 arrested after raid at 4 hotels near Minneapolis over suspected sex trafficking appeared first on BNO News.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
