JACKSON—On July 31, Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced the completion of Operation Guardian Force, a 2-week statewide law enforcement effort led by the Attorney General’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force, Fentanyl Strike Force, and Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The operation resulted in 72 arrests, and the recovery of 29 human trafficking victims.
"My office is committed to taking criminals who traffic people and drugs off the streets and equally committed to setting victims on the road to recovery. I am proud of the dedicated investigators and prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Office as well as our partners in local, state, and federal law enforcement for their work on this operation and every day to keep our communities safe," said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. "And I am grateful to President Trump for making efforts to eradicate human trafficking and fentanyl top priorities. It was an honor to have Acting Assistant Secretary Gradison here to observe the hard work Mississippi’s law enforcement is doing to achieve these same goals."
Attorney General Fitch was joined by Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison with the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services who observed the work of the AGO investigative operations. AG Fitch and the Trump Administration are partners to support efforts to end human trafficking and deliver comprehensive victim services.
“The Trump Administration will partner with anyone who will join us in the fight against human trafficking,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison. “I was honored to witness firsthand Attorney General Fitch’s leadership and Mississippi’s effective coordination between law enforcement and victim services to help save lives.”
Operation Guardian Force ran from July 14, 2025, to July 29, 2025 and worked in partnership with 400 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers to effectively coordinate search warrants, arrests, and victim services. The operation also included a sex offender compliance check to locate and identify sex offender registry absconders.
The following agencies participated:
- Bay St. Louis Police Department
- Biloxi Police Department
- Desoto County Sheriff's Office
- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- Forrest County Sheriff's Office
- Harrison County Sheriff's Office
- Hattiesburg Police Department
- Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
- Horn Lake Police Department
- Jackson County Sheriff's Office
- Jones County Sheriff's Office
- Lamar County Sheriff's Office
- Lee County Sheriff's Office
- Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI)
- Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (MBN)
- Mississippi Department of Revenue - Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC)
- Mississippi Office of Homeland Security
- North MS Narcotics Task Force
- Saltillo Police Department
- Southaven Police Department
- Stone County Sheriff's Office
- Tunica County Sheriff's Office
- Tupelo Police Department
- Wayne County Sheriff's Office
In addition to law enforcement partners, the Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence, Center for Violence Prevention, and Transformation Garden provided services and treatment to the victims who were recovered during this operation.
