Nationwide Effort in Operation Coast to Coast to Combat Human Trafficking Results in 125 Arrests

Joint effort by law enforcement agencies, nonprofits including Safe House Project, and corporations leads to recovery of 79 probable human trafficking victims and 125 arrests

TRENTON, N.J., Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Human Trafficking Training Center today announced the results of Operation "Coast to Coast", a coalition of over 250 law enforcement agencies and organizations including Safe House Project, Our Rescue, Traffic Jam and Delta Air Lines. The multi-state September 10, 2026 operation was conducted from the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations Intelligence Center and provided services to 74 probable adult victims and 5 juvenile victims (including a 1-year old) and resulted in 125 arrests across 22 states.

Operation Coast to Coast began in 2024 as an initiative of the Human Trafficking Training Center to spur a nationwide response to trafficking. "Conducting proactive human trafficking operations identifies victims and holds traffickers accountable," said Dan Nash, founder of the Human Trafficking Training Center and a former human trafficking investigator. "Agencies across America obtained our training, then came together under Operation Coast to Coast to help victims, arrest traffickers, and make their communities safer. As more agencies obtain this training, these numbers will grow and make trafficking inhospitable in America."

Local, state, and federal agencies operated in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington. These agencies included but were not limited to the New Jersey State Police, Massachusetts State Police, Boston Police Department, New Castle County Delaware Police Department, Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office, Mississippi Attorney General's Office, Illinois State Police, Iowa DPS, Louisiana State Police, San Diego County HT Task Force, Sacramento HT Task Force, Anchorage Police Department, National Targeting Center of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Center for Counter Human Trafficking of the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Marshals Service.

The Operation also resulted in the recovery of at least $1,017,975 in US currency and assets. In days following the operation, the organizations involved in Operation Coast to Coast provided victims with much-needed services, including food, lodging, medical services, drug rehabilitation, counseling/therapy and childcare.

"What happens in the hours after a survivor is identified is critical, and shapes everything that comes next," said Kristi Wells, CEO and Co-Founder of Safe House Project. "Survivors who walk away from an operation like this without safe, trauma-informed care are at extraordinary risk of being re-exploited. That's why Safe House Project stands alongside law enforcement throughout Operation Coast to Coast — ready with immediate support and safe home placement for every survivor identified. When law enforcement intervention is matched with long-term, trauma-informed care, we create a pathway to genuine freedom."

"Our Rescue exists to end human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children, and that mission drives everything we do in support of initiatives like Operation Coast to Coast," said Derek Benner, the CEO of Our Rescue. "Standing alongside law enforcement in this nationwide surge reflects our deep commitment to helping agencies build human trafficking enforcement capacity that lasts well beyond any single operation. We know that lasting impact means giving officers the technology, training, and resources to sustain this work long-term, not just respond to a moment. Through it all, our approach remains grounded in what matters most — treating survivors with the dignity, care, and trauma-informed support they deserve at every step."

"Technology can play a critical role in the effort to proactively identify signs of exploitation before opportunities for intervention are lost," said Traffic Jam CEO Cara Jones. "At Marinus Analytics, our flagship software, Traffic Jam, helps investigators analyze vast amounts of online data to identify indicators of trafficking, prioritize leads, support victim-centered interventions, and strengthen evidence for prosecutions. We are proud to support frontline responders during this year's Operation Coast to Coast."

About the Human Trafficking Training Center
The Human Trafficking Training Center equips law enforcement agencies to identify, investigate, and prosecute human trafficking. Founded by former Missouri State Trooper Dan Nash, HTTC has trained more than 21,500 officers in less than five years and has trained every agency participating in Operation Coast to Coast. Visit humantraffickingtrainingcenter.com.

About Safe House Project
Safe House Project is among the fastest-growing anti-trafficking nonprofits in the United States, building the infrastructure that links identification, survivor care, prosecution, and prevention. The organization served 2,644 survivors in 2025 and maintains a network of more than 4,000 safe homes and service providers nationwide. It was co-founded in 2017 by Kristi Wells and Brittany Dunn. Learn more at safehouseproject.org.

If you are a victim of trafficking, or you have knowledge of a trafficking situation, download the Simply Report app, visit www.SimplyReport.com, or call 1-833-5-BESAFE (1-833-523-7233).

Media Contacts:
Dan Nash, 417-844-5834, [email protected]
Megan Greuling, 704-900-3102, [email protected]

SOURCE Safe House Project