Undercover sex trafficking sting in Oregon’s Malheur County nets 15 arrests

VALE, Ore. – Authorities in southeast Oregon said 15 people have been arrested in connection with an undercover sex trafficking operation.

Malheur County Sheriff Brian Wolfe said in a statement Saturday that the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office and police departments in Oregon and Idaho conducted the operation within the past week.

Investigators posted online ads to known sex trafficking websites. People who contacted undercover officers and arranged payment for sexual acts were arrested at a hotel in the Ontario area.

Those arrested were from Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Most were charged with misdemeanor commercial sexual solicitation. They were booked into the Malheur County Jail.