Platte County Sheriff’s Office officials participated in ‘Operation Blue Ghost,’ netting 32 arrests in Missouri and Kansas late last month into early June.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, 17 arrests were made in the Blue Ghost sting operation targeting human trafficking, illegal sex work and more in and around Wichita, Kan. An additional 15 arrests were made about a week later in the Kansas City area.
Federal officials from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) teamed up with authorities in Platte, Clay and Jackson counties in Missouri and Bourbon County, Kan. as well as Independence and Kansas City police and Missouri and Kansas highway patrols.
During the second phase of the operation in Kansas City, suspects were arrested for crimes related to travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, enticement of a minor, sexual trafficking of a child, furnishing pornographic material to minors, sexual exploitation of a minor, promoting prostitution, aggravated human trafficking, sex trafficking, obscenity and morals offenses, felony assault on a law enforcement officer, felony evading, felony property damage, attempted statutory sodomy and attempted statutory rape.