BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (Kare 11) – Brooklyn Center police announced 23 arrests after raiding four hotels on Wednesday morning.
Earlier in the day, the department asked drivers to avoid the Travelodge and Super 8 hotels on James Circle due to the operation.
Brooklyn Center Police Chief Garett Flesland said officers executed 31 court-authorized search warrants. Authorities confiscated at least seven firearms, 1.5 pounds of drugs and about $9,000.
The 23 people were booked into jail on suspicion of promotion of prostitution, sex trafficking, drug possession, drug manufacturing and possession of firearms by prohibited people.
Official charges have not yet been filed.
Flesland said this operation has been in the works for a year. The Super 8 and Travelodge have been hot spots for Brooklyn Center police, as the two locations racked up nearly 2,400 calls for emergency services in the last one-and-a-half years.
“They were the two highest individual locations for calls for service in Brooklyn Center. Together, the properties accounted for 246 arrests, including 15 violent crime arrests,” Flesland said.
Over the last few years, 24% of the city’s drug overdoses took place at the Super 8 and Travelodge.
“Behind those numbers are people who have experienced violence, exploitation, addiction and repeated emergencies,” Flesland said. “Officers continued responding to those individual calls while detectives worked to understand the connections between them.”
Wednesday’s raid included seven police departments, three sheriff’s offices, and multiple other state and federal agencies.
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