Six people were arrested during a human trafficking operation that took place over the past two days in Beltrami County. The operation ran from June 25 through 26. The operation was led by Investigators with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA)-led Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force in partnership with the Tribes United Against Sex Trafficking (TRUST) Task Force, the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bemidji Police Department.

According to The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, during the operation, suspects responded to an ad on a sex advertisement website. Investigators arrested the suspects as they arrived at an arranged meeting place for a commercial sex crime. All six men were booked into the Beltrami County Jail on probable cause solicitation of prostitution of an adult. Charges are expected in the coming days.

The men booked include:

• Michael Lee Eichstadt, 56, of Bemidji, Minn.
• Quint Kyle Ironnecklace, 24, of Bemidji, Minn.
• Lance Armon Jones, 39, of Oakville, Washington.
• Dennis Michael Murphy, 43, of Park Rapids, Minn. Mr. Murphy also faces probable cause possession of a controlled substance.
• Matthew F. Senica, 49, of Illinois.
• Philip Edward Toomey, Jr., 48, of Maywood, Missouri.

Additional agencies and organizations that lent resources and expertise to this effort include The Link; the Buffalo, Fond du Lac, Hibbing, Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Thief River Falls, and Upper Sioux police departments; the Red Lake Department of Public Safety; the Chisago, Hennepin and Isanti County sheriff’s offices; the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force; the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations.

“This operation was part of our ongoing, collective commitment to rid our communities of sexual exploitation.” BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said. “It is never okay to purchase another person for sex.”​

By — Betsy Melin