COLLINSVILLE, Ill. – Authorities have arrested seven men in an Illinois human trafficking sting with ties to the Metro East.
Illinois State Police announced the following arrests Thursday in an anti-human trafficking operation:
Donald Dececco, 43, of St. Louis
Ronald Garrison, 66, of St. Louis
Christopher Giarraffa, 31, of St. Louis
Pedro Cruz-Hernandez, 38, of St. Park, Illinois
Charles Lindsay, 43, of Fenton, Missouri
Douglas Siemonsma, 52, of Swansea, Illinois
Janxiong Song, 39, of St. Peters, Missouri
An ISP criminal investigations unit led a human trafficking suppression operation last week from June 22-23. The operation was focused on identifying people who attempted to engage in commercial sex acts with minors.
“ISP has a responsibility to protect those vulnerable to human trafficking, forced labor, and sexual servitude,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “The arrests of these individuals serves as notice to anyone who thinks about feeding the demand for human trafficking that ISP could be waiting behind a door for them with handcuffs.”
The seven men face various charges, such as indecent solicitation of a child, traveling to meet a child, grooming and solicitation of a sexual act.
Illinois State Police say that attorney’s offices and law enforcement agencies in St. Clair County and O’Fallon, Illinois provided support in the operation.
If you suspect human trafficking in Illinois, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text *233733. You also email ISP.Crime.Tips@illinois.gov. More resources are available through the online human trafficking hotline.