18 victims identified in Brooklyn Center hotel trafficking probe; no charges filed yet
An 18th human trafficking victim has come forward in the Brooklyn Center hotel probe, and none of the 28 people arrested in the Sept. 9 raids have been charged.[1]
Investigators say the identified victims range in age from 18 to 56 and are being connected with services.[1] The operation has yielded eight firearms, more than $43,494 in cash, a significant quantity of suspected controlled substances and a large number of seized cell phones whose digital evidence is being analyzed.[1]
On Sept. 9 investigators executed 31 search warrants at four properties in Brooklyn Center — 17 at the Travelodge, 12 at the Super 8, one at the Baymont and one at Suburban Studios — using more than 250 personnel and seven SWAT teams, and reported no injuries.[2] Two days later police said the raids had produced 28 arrests and that 17 women and minors had been identified as trafficking victims.[3]
Early coverage focused on rescues, seizures and the number of arrests, but later updates stressed that none of those arrested had been formally charged and that investigators are continuing a complex, multiagency inquiry that includes probing possible hotel staff involvement.[3] A separate federal civil lawsuit filed in 2023 alleges a 15-year-old was sex trafficked at the Brooklyn Center Super 8 in 2013 and that hotel staff observed clear trafficking indicators, an allegation the defendants deny.[4]
Police say three lead agencies — Brooklyn Center Police, Hennepin County and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension — are jointly working the case and that the Hennepin County Attorney's Office has been kept in regular contact as evidence is gathered.[1] Brooklyn Center officials say the Super 8 and Travelodge generated nearly 2,300 calls for service between January 2025 and August 2026, both hotels remain boarded up, and the city is weighing suspension or revocation of their licenses while coordinating with social services to protect and assist identified victims.[1]
Show source details & analysis (4 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- During the Sept. 9 Brooklyn Center hotel raids, investigators executed 31 search warrants across four properties (17 at the Travelodge, 12 at the Super 8, one at the Baymont and one at Suburban Studios) with more than 250 personnel and seven SWAT teams participating; the raids ended without injuries (31 search warrants).
- The operation produced 28 arrests and recoveries that investigators now say include eight firearms, a “significant quantity” of suspected controlled substances, about $43,494 in cash and a large number of seized cell phones whose digital evidence is being analyzed (28 arrests).
- An 18th trafficking victim has come forward since the raids, bringing the total identified to 18 (victims’ ages reported as 18 to 56), and police say those identified are being connected with services (18th victim).
- As of the latest updates, none of the 28 people arrested has been formally charged; FOX 9 identified about a dozen people booked into Hennepin County Jail, nearly all of whom have since been released (Hennepin County Jail).
- Three lead case agents — Brooklyn Center Police Department, Hennepin County and the BCA — are jointly working the investigation, and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says it is in regular contact and not surprised no cases have been submitted yet (Hennepin County Attorney’s Office).
- A separate 2023 federal civil lawsuit alleges a 15-year-old was sex trafficked at the Brooklyn Center Super 8 in 2013 — forced to see between seven and 20 men a day over multiple days — and claims hotel staff observed trafficking indicators but failed to act; the plaintiff escaped, is suing the former owners/operators and the Super 8 franchise, and the defendants deny knowing about or profiting from trafficking (federal civil lawsuit).
- Brooklyn Center Police Chief Garett Flesland said the current trafficking/drug/firearms investigation at the Super 8 began about a year ago, described it as the most complex and large-scale probe of his 26-year career, and said no staff were arrested during the raid while possible staff involvement remains under investigation (Brooklyn Center Police Chief Garett Flesland).
- City officials say the Super 8 and Travelodge generated nearly 2,300 calls for service between January 2025 and August 2026; both hotels remain boarded up while the city weighs suspension or revocation of their licenses, noting call volume alone is not sufficient grounds for closure (nearly 2,300 calls for service).
- Police are coordinating with Hennepin County social services and addiction specialists to provide resources and protection for identified victims, and Commander Richard Gabler warned that uncharged suspects and victims could reconnect while arguing that rushing charges now would undermine the investigative case (Commander Richard Gabler).
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- An 18th trafficking victim has come forward since the Sept. 9 Brooklyn Center hotel raids, bringing the total to 18, with ages 18 to 56.
- Two weeks after the operation, none of the 28 people arrested — including a Travelodge employee — has yet been formally charged.
- Investigators have now recovered eight firearms, more than $43,494 in cash, a significant quantity of drugs, and a large number of seized cell phones whose digital evidence is still being analyzed.
- Three lead case agents (Brooklyn Center PD, Hennepin County, and BCA) are jointly working the case; Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says it is in regular contact and not surprised no cases have been submitted yet.
- Brooklyn Center police say the Super 8 and Travelodge generated nearly 2,300 calls for service between January 2025 and August 2026, and the city is now weighing suspension or revocation of the hotels’ licenses under its hotel ordinance.
- Both the Super 8 and Travelodge remain boarded up; city officials say call volume alone is not sufficient grounds for closure and must be paired with other regulatory violations.
- Commander Richard Gabler publicly acknowledged the risk that uncharged suspects and trafficking victims could reconnect, but argued rushing charges would undermine the case.
- Police are coordinating with Hennepin County social services and addiction specialists to provide resources and protection for the identified victims.
- Police now say 17 women and underage girls were identified as human trafficking victims during the Sept. 9 Brooklyn Center hotel raids and are being connected with services.
- Officers executed 31 search warrants in total: 17 at the Travelodge, 12 at the Super 8, one at the Baymont and one at Suburban Studios.
- The operation led to 28 arrests, recovery of seven firearms, a “significant quantity” of suspected controlled substances and about $43,494 in cash.
- More than 250 personnel and seven SWAT teams took part in the early-morning hotel raids, which police say ended without any injuries.
- As of the update, FOX 9 could identify only about a dozen people booked into Hennepin County Jail, nearly all of whom have since been released and none yet formally charged, highlighting the gap between arrest numbers and filed charges.
- A federal civil lawsuit filed in 2023 alleges a 15-year-old girl was sex trafficked at the Brooklyn Center Super 8 in 2013, forced to see between seven and 20 men a day over multiple days.
- The complaint says hotel staff observed widely taught trafficking indicators — visible bruising from beatings, a minor in provocative clothing in common areas, and blood on towels and linens — yet allegedly failed to act.
- The plaintiff ultimately escaped by secretly using her trafficker’s laptop to message for help; two traffickers were arrested soon after, and she is now suing the former owners/operators and the Super 8 franchise in federal court.
- In court filings, the former operators deny knowing about or profiting from trafficking at the hotel.
- Brooklyn Center Police Chief Garett Flesland said the current trafficking/drug/firearms investigation at the same Super 8 began about a year ago and described it as the most complex and large-scale probe of his 26-year career; no staff were arrested during Wednesday’s raid, and possible staff involvement remains under investigation.