Immigration
Twelve human trafficking victims from Arizona rescued in Kansas
A dozen people from Arizona were being human trafficked by a man who was apprehended in Kansas, law enforcement officials reported
October 15, 2023 12:15pm
Updated: October 17, 2023 11:29am
Twelve people from Arizona were being human trafficked by a man who was apprehended in Kansas, law enforcement officials reported.
Police believe the suspect is related to a human trafficking organization in the Phoenix, Arizona, area. The nationalities or further details of the victims have not yet been revealed.
On Thursday, the Wallace County Kansas Sheriff’s Office charged a man on suspicion of human trafficking.
“The male subject was transporting twelve people from Arizona to an unknown destination. The twelve displaced victims were transported to the Boarders Inn & Suites in Syracuse, Kansas,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
Friday morning the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office received an emergency 911 report with the caller alleging that a man was taking about a dozen victims “by force” from the motel they were staying at.
The suspect then departed from the motel in a van, and nearly four hours later at 9:40 a.m., the vehicle was located in a Syracuse, Kansas parking lot.
The suspect was then arrested in a nearby restaurant.
“The investigation revealed the suspect is related to a human trafficking organization out of the Phoenix, Arizona area. The suspect was identified as Antonio Castro Tienda 51 Mesa, Arizona,” according to police.
