Search warrant reveals new details in Brooklyn Center sex trafficking raid

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (FOX 9) - A newly filed warrant gives a closer look at what police say was inside the Super 8 hotel during Brooklyn Center Police's Sept. 9 hotel raid.

Search warrant details from Super 8 rooms

According to the warrant, an FBI agent, acting undercover, responded to a sex advertisement online before two weeks before the Sept. 9 raid. The agent got a text back that said, "Yes available babe" and "I have Eagan and Brooklyn Center." The address for the commercial sex was the Brooklyn Center Super 8, according to the newly filed court documents. 

What we know:

During the raid, the agent made contact with four women in their 40s who investigators believed were sex trafficking victims, according to the warrant. The document said multiple women "admitted to conducting massage at the hotel, but denied conducting any sex work."

The warrant also said two of the women had been identified as victims in previous sex trafficking investigations in Bloomington and Roseville.

By the numbers:

In four Super 8 rooms included in the warrant, law enforcement found seven phones and "located hundreds of condoms, numerous large bottles of oils, cases of baby wipes and facial tissues" along with lingerie and "a case of mouth wash," according to the warrant.

"Some of these individually, if it's just one thing, maybe is nothing. But if you can tie one room or one person to multiple clues like this, then I would say it's worth reporting," said Brooklyn Center Police Cmdr. Richard Gabler in an interview with FOX 9 last month. 

How the broader hotel operation unfolded

On Sept. 9, more than 250 law enforcement officers, including seven SWAT teams, raided four hotels in Brooklyn Center. The investigation focused mainly on the Super 8 and Travelodge, where officers executed search warrants and later returned, recovering eight firearms, more than $43,494 in cash and a significant quantity of drugs.

Local perspective:

Gabler told FOX 9 that investigators initially identified 17 women and girls ages 18 to 56 as victims of human trafficking. He said an 18th victim has since come forward, and he believes there could be more.

"Hopefully this operation that we conducted on September 9 is a starting point for these victims to get onto a more desirable path," said Gabler.

What's next:

Gabler said 28 people were arrested, including a Travelodge employee. He also said no suspects, victims, bystanders or officers were injured during the Sept. 9 operation.

"If these girls see this story and then know that we're willing to listen, we'll talk to them. Hopefully they come forward," said Gabler.

Long-running concerns tied to the Super 8

FOX 9 previously reported that allegations of sex trafficking at the Brooklyn Center Super 8 go back more than a decade. In an ongoing federal civil case, a woman said traffickers held her at the hotel in 2013 when she was 15 and forced her to see between seven and 20 men each day.

Dig deeper:

The lawsuit alleged hotel staff saw warning signs, including visible bruising, provocative clothing and blood on towels and linens, but did not act. The woman said she escaped by using her trafficker's laptop to send a message for help, and two of her traffickers were arrested shortly after, according to the lawsuit. 

The federal civil case is still being argued in court, according to online court records. 

What we don't know:

The newly filed warrant covers one agent's account from one hotel, and shows only a fraction of what officers found. The records released so far do not say when charges could be filed, whether more victims will be identified or whether the city will move forward with the hotel license action.

The Source: FOX 9's Emily Pofahl reports, along with a newly filed search warrant and statements from Brooklyn Center police.