An ICE employee and a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency employee are among 16 arrested as part of underage sex sting in Bloomington.
Bloomington police say an United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement employee was among 16 people arrested for soliciting a minor for sex as part of an undercover operation that began earlier this month.
"He works for ICE, and he is an auditor for them, a civilian employee," says Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges. "When he was arrested, he said, 'I'm ICE boys.' Well, you know, unfortunately for him, we locked him up, we put him in our jail, he got re-appropriated to our jail."
Hodges says charges are in the works and that the ICE employee most likely will face federal charges.
Operation Creep began November 5 and undercover officers utilized various communication methods to engage with suspects which included a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency employee.
Hodges says these operations are becoming more difficult to execute.
"This stuff goes international across the country and that makes the operations that much more sophisticated," Hodges explained. "Now our folks are always still monitoring a lot of these websites and these ads to see if there are people who are being trafficked or juveniles. But again, the sophistication in which these folks are doing now is making our operations that much more difficult."
Hodges says one of the suspects brought drugs, and eight guns, to the meet-up.
"He shows up with this hand cannon. Again, he's going to meet a 17-year old girl and he shows up with this rifle," says Hodges. "And he shows up of course with the drugs and look at these needles. He's coming to meet a 17-year old girl."