b'Washington County Attorneys Office2019 Annual Report Major CrimesProsecution UnitHuman trafficking continues to be a scourge in Washington County.It is incumbent on us to identify and help these victims and prosecute those who are responsible for the trafficking.Director, Major Crimes UnitImran AliThe Major Crime Unit was created in 2015 by County Attorney Pete Orput to address crimes which are complex and require both prosecution and law enforcement to work together in the early investigative stages in order sustain a conviction in a timely manner.Since 2015, the Major Crime Unit has been busy working with law enforcement on several matters from homicide to large, multifaceted fraud rings.A significant portion of the work has been centered on Human Trafficking since 2016.In 2018, The East Metro Sex Trafficking Task Force (EMSTTF) was created to address all facets of the commercial sex ecosystem.The demand (buyer), the supply (seller), and the distribution (pimps), are all part of this ecosystem. The EMSTTF is comprised of Imran Ali, Director of East Metro Sex Trafficking Taskforce and Marc Berris, an Assistant Washington County Attorney.In addition to county attorney staff the unit includes Detective Paul Kroshus with the Woodbury Police Department, Detective Ryan Stuart with the Oakdale Police Department, Sgt. Keith Anderson with the Washington County Sheriffs Office, and Special Agent Jimmy Jimenez with the US Department of Homeland Security Investigations. In2019,theEMSTTFwasbusyarrestingandprosecutingseverallarge-scalehumantrafficking investigations.To address the demand, the unit continued to conductundercoverstingoperationswhichledtodozensof arrestsinWashingtonCounty.Inaddition,theunitspent severaldaysaspartofametro-wideoperationcenteredon human trafficking for the NCAA Final Four.This week-long operation led to the arrests of several buyers and pimps.Also, several victims were rescued and provided services.For more information go to:www.speakuptheycant.com Washington County Tip Line651-430-7825 8'