Federal authorities busted hundreds of suspects tied to human trafficking during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) just released highlights of nationwide operations executed in June and July.
A total of 180 victims were rescued, 30 of whom were underage.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), working alongside federal, state, and local partners, rounded up 905 suspects facing charges that include conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, sex trafficking through force, fraud, coercion, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
On June 23, HSI San Francisco and the FBI located two underage female victims who had been human trafficked, one of whom had disappeared in November 2025 in Bakersfield, California.
Also in June, HSI Kansas City arrested several suspected pedophiles, as we previously reported.
- Jason Grouix, 50, of Pensacola, Florida, was charged by prosecutors in Clay County, Missouri, with attempted enticement of a child and attempted possession of child pornography.
- Curtis Ray Gibson, 47, of Lenexa, Kansas, was charged in federal court with attempted sex trafficking of a child.
On July 24, HSI Dallas executed eight arrest warrants for suspects tied to an adult bookstore that had operated as an illegal brothel for more than 20 years.
Investigators have determined that thousands of victims, both adults and children, were sex trafficked through the illicit business. One of those victims was murdered in 2024.
“While Americans and international visitors were enjoying the FIFA World Cup, the men and women of ICE law enforcement were hard at work cracking down on human trafficking operations in FIFA host cities across the country,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.
“Federal law enforcement arrested more than 900 suspects and rescued nearly 200 victims. Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, we are dismantling human trafficking networks.”
